Moriah 1: Love Found
by Joni Latham
Summary: LaCroix finally finds the eternal love he's been seeking.


MORIAH By: Joni Latham  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
Moriah Manley walked down the long, dark hallway to the morgue to discuss a murder case that she was investigating with Natalie Lambert, the medical examiner for the police precinct where Moriah worked as a detective. As she walked to the morgue, Moriah wondered if Nick would be there talking to Natalie as usual. Nick Knight was a very unusual man. He was a fellow detective and a vampire. Although Moriah had always thought of him as a cop first and a vampire second, Nick always thought of himself as a vampire first and a cop second. It would be these differences in their views on vampires that would lead to many changes in both of their lives. As she walked towards the morgue, the memory of the event that led to her discovery of Nick's secret world came flooding back to her.  
Moriah had discovered quite by accident the nature of Nick's existence and the world in which he lived. One night, when she was temporarily assigned to the night shift, Nick could not be raised by radio and the captain wanted to speak with him immediately. The captain told Moriah to find Nick, then bring him back to the station: pronto. Wondering where to start looking, Moriah asked the captain where Nick was last known to be, and he told her that Nick had mentioned checking out a lead at a club called THE RAVEN. Innocently, she drove to the club, not knowing that she was about to open a door to another world, one totally different from her own.  
Parking the car along the curb, she walked up to the entrance and pulled open the door to the club. Stepping inside, she released the door and took a few steps into the interior. As she stepped out of the darkness of the alcove and into the dim light of the club, a shiver ran down her spine. Moriah looked around her at the patrons milling about the bar. They did not look any different than anyone else, except that they all tended to have a rather pasty complexion. Looking around, she did not immediately see Nick, so she took a few more steps into the club. The chill running down her spine grew in intensity, so she stopped in her tracks. When she looked at the patrons of the bar, she saw that they were all staring at her quite intently. They formed a circle around her and began moving toward her. She, in turn, began to back away from them, but she had stepped so far into the club that she had nowhere to go, except against the wall. She stood her ground, as she had been trained to do. They all stared at her and she stared right back. They seemed to waiting for something to happen, but she had no idea what that thing could be. The man closest to her smiled a big toothy grin and that was when she saw that he had fangs. As she watched, each one of them opened their mouth to reveal a pair of fangs.  
The only people she had heard of who possessed fangs were "vampires." "Could it be?" she wondered as she watched them watch her. She wondered what they were waiting for - were they trying to hypnotize her? She looked at them, blinking her eyes. If they were, it did not seem to have an affect on her.  
It had been about five minutes since Moriah had stepped foot in the bar, but to her it seemed like hours. Apparently, the standoff was about to end. The vampire closest to her reached out to grab her arm. As his hand clamped down on her arm, Moriah heard a scuffle to her right. Turning, she saw Nick pushing his way through the crowd surrounding her.  
Stepping up next to her, he put his hand on the vampire's arm and pulled his grip loose from Moriah's arm. "Let her go, Dominick," he said. "She is a friend of mine."  
Dominick and the others took a few steps toward Nick, then suddenly stopped. When Moriah looked over at Nick, he, too, possessed a pair of fangs and his eyes were glowing a yellow-green. He stepped in front of her, so all that she saw was his back.  
"So. Nick is a vampire, too," Moriah thought to herself as she stared at Nick's back. "Well, that explains a lot of things, such as why I never see him during the day, how he always seems to beat the other officers to the crime scene, and why he very rarely fires a shot from his service revolver. How interesting! Wouldn't the police force be awesome, if they all had such special powers?"  
A noise brought Moriah out of her thoughts. That was when she realized that she and Nick were just two against a group of fifteen or more vampires. She knew that eventhough Nick was a vampire, he was not a threat to such a large group. She heard a noise to her right and another individual stepped into the middle of the circle. The newcomer was tall with white hair and possessed a set of the bluest eyes that Moriah had ever seen. She was mesmerized by his presence and thought that he must wield some sort of power, because the others back away from him.  
The newcomer started into Moriah's eyes, but once again, she just returned his gaze, blinking her eyes normally. As he arched his eyebrow and narrowed his eyes a little, she could hear him say to himself, "How interesting!" He turned to Nick and said, "Nicolas, take her out of here for all the good that it will do. The Enforcers will eventually visit her anyway."  
"Yes, LaCroix," Nick said, grabbing Moriah's hand. "And thank you."  
Nick pulled her from the club and out onto the sidewalk. He took her car keys from her and pushed her into the passenger's side of her car. Walking around to the driver's side, he climbed in, started the car, and drove towards the precinct. As they drove, Moriah was full of questions, and he answered her, the best that he could. THE RAVEN was a club for vampires; Lucien LaCroix was the club's owner, his master, and a very old vampire; and, finally, the Enforcers were sent to silence mortals who had discovered their secret. She told him that she had no intention of revealing their secrets. She found the whole situation quite interesting. He continued to answer her questions and tell her all that she wanted to know, because he knew, sadly, that the Enforcers would come to silence her anyway.  
Moriah and Nick were both in for a surprise: the Enforcers never came for her. A week after her discovery of the club and its inhabitants, Moriah was still alive and still human. Nick could not explain to her why they had not come for her. He went to LaCroix and asked him about it, but LaCroix would not or could not tell him anything. He would not even discuss the incident involving Moriah. A far away look came over his face as he told Nick that Moriah was a very special human. This, in itself, surprised Nick. LaCroix did not like humans. To him they were a food source. Staring at LaCroix for a few minutes, Nick decided that it was best not to push the issue any further and left. As he exited the club, he knew all that mattered was that Moriah was safe.  
The fact that The Enforcers did not come for her seemed to spread through the vampire community and allowed her to exist alongside them. Although she did not seek them out and had not set foot in THE RAVEN since that night, they never challenged her when a happenstance meeting occurred, but, instead, allowed her to continue peacefully on her way. Over the next year, Moriah encountered many of the vampires she had seen that night in the club, but she found them nothing like those in the terrible stories she had been told as a child. The vampires she came to know were not the re- animated corpses of fiction, but were living, breathing individuals with thoughts, dreams, and emotions. As the year drew to an end, there was one particular vampire that continually crept into her mind's eye more and more.  
Although Moriah was on the day shift and Nick was on the night shift (for obvious reasons), there were times when they had to work together. Nick was handsome in a boyishly romantic way, and he was nice enough, but she found him rather thick sometimes, as well as too morose. Once she stumbled onto his secret, Moriah found that Nick began talk to her openly and often about his secret life and its pitfalls. When she asked him why he liked talking to her, he answered that she was a human and not as emotionally attached to him as Natalie was, which allowed for an unbiased opinion. Soon, she grew tired of hearing his constant complaining about being a vampire and all of the horrible things that his master, LaCroix, had done to him or caused him to do. LaCroix was the one vampire she encountered at THE RAVEN that night who struck her as the most interesting. She had chanced upon him several times since that night, and after every encounter her interest was piqued that much more. Nick, obviously, saw something in her eyes when she spoke of LaCroix, because he always warned her to stay out of his way. Although LaCroix had an imposing and forbidding personality, she found nothing about him that scared her. She found his intelligence, his articulate manner of speaking, his blue eyes, and his Old World manners strangely appealing to her. After several of these encounters with LaCroix, Moriah began to think that Nick was using LaCroix as an excuse for his own weaknesses. Just the same, Moriah never went out of her way to seek out LaCroix's company, although there were many times that she was tempted to do so.  
Moriah stopped just before she reached Natalie's door and pushed her long blonde hair out of her face. She was five feet three inches tall with sparkling blue eyes, a creamy white complexion, and a smile that could light up a room. When she came to work for the police department, several people had commented on how small she was - too small to be a cop - but, she had proved them all wrong. Her personality and her zest for life were much larger than her size, and it was not long before her ability at handling herself and her zest to succeed had moved her from officer to detective status.  
Moriah stepped up to Natalie's door and put her hand up to knock when she heard two voices inside. Recognizing Nick's voice, and wondering whether she should intrude, she stayed quiet and listened to the conversation.  
"Natalie, you know that I can't be with you, not in that way. I will not take the chance of condemning you to the eternal damnation which I walk," Nick said.  
"Nick, how do you know that will happen?" Natalie commented. "Nothing in life is sure. You have to make the best of what you have."  
"I'm afraid that all my past sins, all the things that I've done and that LaCroix has tricked me into doing, will eventually catch up with me and destroy you," Nick explained rather pitifully, Moriah thought.  
"Nick, you're being silly," Natalie said as Moriah heard the sound of metal hitting metal.  
Moriah accidentally bumped the door and they stopped talking. "Who's there?" Nick called.  
Moriah pushed the door open and said, "It's me, Nick. I came to see Natalie about a case."  
Nick took a few steps toward her. "How much did you hear?"  
Standing in the doorway, Moriah answered, "Enough to know that you waste entirely too much energy worrying about what you are, instead of making the best of it."  
"What do you mean?" Natalie asked curiously, leaning on the examining slab.  
Moriah stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She looked Natalie in the eyes and said, "Nick possesses powers that you and I only dream of having. There are so many things that he could do to help mankind, if that's his real intention, instead of standing around belly- aching and feeling sorry for himself all the time. He also blames LaCroix for everything bad that has happened to him. I will admit that it's possible that LaCroix was responsible for part of it, but from the stories that I have heard, Nick was very gullible and believed anything that he was told."  
"But you don't understand the power that a master has over his creation," Nick stammered.  
"I understand enough to know that you could have refused him many times and that you didn't," Moriah said, becoming angry. "You need to forget about the past, accept what you are, and get on with your life or you'll never be happy." Moriah turned and walked to the door. As she opened it and stepped out into the hallway, she said, "Natalie, I'll come back to see you later after Nick's gone."  
Moriah hated these discussions with Nick. She did not understand why, but he always made her angry. She would have loved to possess some of his powers: the ability to fly, the superhuman strength, and the ability to see in the dark, just to name a few.  
Since Moriah was on her own time and not on the clock, she walked out of the precinct and to her car. Starting the car, she pulled away from the curb, not really knowing where she was going. After a few minutes, she decided she would drive around for a while before checking back with Natalie. Fumbling with the radio tuner, she accidentally tuned in to CERK and the Nightcrawler program, a nighttime broadcast that LaCroix did from a booth somewhere in THE RAVEN. For thirty minutes, she drove through the city listening to him, mesmerized by his voice and his words. Suddenly, she knew that she had to discover the man behind the voice and the words she found so hypnotic. Her speech to Nick had convinced her that tonight was the night she would approach LaCroix: There would be no more procrastination or excuses.  
Pulling the car up in front of THE RAVEN, Moriah parked it in an empty space along the curb. Leaning forward on the steering wheel, she looked at the club's sign and wondered whether she really wanted to go through with this spontaneous decision of hers. She thought about all of the relationships and friendships that never came to be because people were unwilling to take the chance of approaching the other person first. She touched the cross around her neck, then removed it and clutched it tightly in her hand. Opening the car door, she stepped out, then leaned on the car's roof to watch people entering and exiting the club. Occasionally, one of them would turn and look at her, then drop his head and continue walking. Reaching inside the car, she grabbed the keys from the ignition, closed and locked the door, then walked up to the club's entrance, gingerly laying her fingers on the door's handle. As she was about to be the only human in a room filled with mostly vampires, she knew that she could not afford to exhibit any sign of fear. Summoning up her courage, she told herself, "The hell with it," then opened up the door and stepped inside. Moriah took a few steps inside. All the patrons appeared to ignore her. Still clutching the cross tightly in her hand, she walked towards the back of the bar. She knew that LaCroix broadcast his show from a booth located somewhere in the back of the club, and it was LaCroix whom she sought.  
She had walked halfway around the outer edge of the club, when she spotted the radio equipment hidden in a corner. LaCroix was sitting in the booth, leaning on his elbow and talking into the microphone. As she slipped up to the edge of the booth, she stayed in the shadows, hoping that he would not detect her until after he finished his broadcast. Standing there with her eyes closed, Moriah leaned against the wall, listening to his hypnotic words. Presently, he finished and turned off his equipment, then turned to face her.  
"What are you doing here, Miss Manley, and how did you make it all the way to the back of the club?" LaCroix asked, obviously impressed with either her courage or stupidity.  
"I simply walked in through the front door and kept going," Moriah answered, leaning against the edge of the booth wall.  
LaCroix leaned back in his chair. "And the others did not bother you?"  
"No, not at all. They acted as if they never saw me. I wandered around 'til I found you."  
"Well, that does not surprise me. The night that you stumbled into my little club, no one, not even I, could hypnotize you or bring you into their control." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Now that we have established how you were able to get in here, what do you want of me?"  
Moriah, sensing that he meant her no harm, dropped the cross into her pocket. "I just wanted to talk to you."  
"Why would you want to talk to me of all people, or vampires as the case maybe? Nicolas is much safer."  
"And very boring. You may find this hard to believe, but from the few times that I've encountered you and heard your broadcast on the radio, I've found you extremely interesting. You have seen so many places during so many different times of history that I think that you would have the most interesting stories to tell." She hesitated for a moment.  
"Please continue," he urged.  
"All right. It's your eyes and your voice too," she said. "You have the most wonderful blue eyes, and I could listen to your voice all night. As a matter of fact, I tune in to CERK quite often." To prove what she said was true, Moriah quoted him some passages from a few of his more recent broadcasts.  
Obviously impressed, he scooted across the booth towards her. "But why approach me now after all this time?"  
"About forty-five minutes ago, I read Nick the riot act again and decided that this was something that I needed to do. I've wanted to visit you for a long time, but I listened to him and some of the others who told me to stay away from you."  
"Oh," LaCroix said, arching his eyebrow, obviously becoming very interested in what this human had to say. "Well, since you are here, have a seat and tell me about it." Moriah sat down beside him without any hesitation. "You really are not afraid of me, are you?" he asked her, surprised.  
"Maybe a little," Moriah said pulling her legs up underneath her. "But my curiosity about you is taking precedent over my common sense."  
LaCroix raised his eyebrow again. Moriah would soon discover that his raising of his eyebrow was a very common habit with him. "I do not think that I have ever had anyone actually tell me that they find me interesting. I find that quite intriguing in itself." He moved back into the corner of the booth and leaned back. "Now, tell me what you said to Nicolas."  
Moriah related her conversation with Nick and Natalie. "So, you think that Nicolas is basically a cry-baby?" LaCroix inquired, a sly smile coming to his face.  
"That's about it," Moriah concurred. "I'll agree that you were probably responsible for most of his trials and tribulations, but I also think that he could have refused to do a lot of what he did. From what I have been told, I saw as much persuasion used as mind control. You must have had an easy job. From what I've seen there is not a lot of mind there to control. Even a human can exert a certain amount of influence over him."  
"Be careful," LaCroix warned, narrowing his eyes. "Remember that I did create him."  
Moriah smiled nervously. "I know, and I am sorry," she apologized. "But he makes me so angry. He has all those powers and grouses about it. The man drinks cow's blood, which is not so different from eating a steak. There are plenty of people in the city that work nights and rarely see the daylight. There are enough vampires out there that he doesn't have to be alone. He just chooses not to associate with them. Heck, he could make his own companion, but he won't, because he would be passing on the 'curse'." She ended her sentence by making quotations marks with her fingers as she said the word, "curse."  
"My, my," LaCroix said putting his elbow on the table, "you are an opinionated little thing. I find your views quite refreshing." He smiled and leaned towards her saying, "I like talking to you. You fascinate me. I will make a deal with you. You come by several times a week and visit me, and I will promise you that none of the other vampires will ever bother you in the club or out, and neither will I."  
"I would like that," Moriah said, standing and turning to leave. She paused and turned back towards the booth. "May I ask you something before I leave?"  
LaCroix arched his eyebrow and moved towards the edge of the booth. "I suppose so. What do you wish to know?"  
"I was wondering why The Enforcers never came for me. I thought that they silenced those who had physical proof of a vampire's existence."  
He stared at her for a moment before answering. Moriah would swear later that she saw a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Placing his hands on the table before him, he said, "You are a special case. You do not have any physical evidence in your possession, such as Nicolas's friend, the coroner, possesses and I, personally, feel that you are no threat to us and mean us no harm."  
"You are correct in one respect. I would never do anything to harm Nick or you, for that matter."  
LaCroix seemed surprised at the last little bit of Moriah's statement, but chose not to pursue it. As Moriah turned to leave, LaCroix asked, "I will see you tomorrow evening?"  
"You can count on it," she said, stepping away from the booth. As she walked out of the club, Moriah was relieved that she had finally decided to take the chance and contact LaCroix. Walking to her car, she noticed an unusual bounce in her step. It was at that moment, she realized, that she was very much looking forward to her next visit to THE RAVEN.  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
Over the next couple of months, Moriah visited LaCroix at the club at least four times a week. Usually, they sat in his booth and talked, Moriah listening intently to him spin tales of the places that he had seen and the people that he had encountered. As much as he liked telling her his stories, what interested LaCroix most about their talks was the way Moriah's mind worked. Many times, he would ask her questions just to see what sort of responses his questions would elicit. Although her opinions were considered quite radical for a human, LaCroix found that many of them coincided with his own. Moriah became a regular at the club and the other vampires were so accustomed to her presence that not only did they not annoy her, they would not allow anyone else to annoy her either. As her visits continued, another side of LaCroix was beginning to open up to Moriah. She decided that she liked this side of him very much and wanted to explore it more thoroughly. Never being exposed to this side of LaCroix, the other vampires never fully understood why Moriah visited him so often.  
One evening as Moriah and LaCroix were sitting in his booth discussing composers, LaCroix asked, "Have you ever been to the ballet or the opera?"  
"I've been to the ballet once, but never to an opera," Moriah responded. "Why?"  
"I would like to take you to the opera, the ballet, and a few concerts so that you will have a better understanding of what we are talking about. That is, if you would like to go with me?" he inquired, leaning forward in his seat.  
"I'd love to go," Moriah said, smiling. "Your insight ought to make them much more interesting." She looked at him for a moment, then shook her head.  
"Anything wrong?"  
"I was just thinking about Nick and what he would say if he could see you the way that I see you. I see nothing in you of what he and others have warned me about."  
"Nicolas does not know that you are coming by to see me, then?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.  
Moriah shook her head. "Not unless you have mentioned it. Knowing how he feels about you, I thought it best not to let him or Natalie know. I don't think that Natalie would say anything deliberately, but she might accidentally let it slip in conversation with Nick."  
"Maybe it is best for your sake," LaCroix agreed with a look of concern on his face, a look that surprised Moriah. "Shall we start with the ballet on Friday night?"  
"That sounds great," Moriah said, pushing her hair out of her face.  
After that first evening at the ballet, LaCroix began to take Moriah to every new play, ballet, or concert that came to town. She was enjoying herself immensely and LaCroix was the perfect companion. Accompanying him around town, exposed her to many new experiences and he was always the consummate gentleman. Many evenings when there was no formal entertainment available, they enjoyed simply walking and talking. Walking on the streets late at night was not the sort of thing that Moriah condoned, but knowing of LaCroix's special abilities allowed her the luxury of enjoying their walks without fearing the criminal element. The relationship was perfect as far as Moriah was concerned, and she would have liked it to continue for as long as her human limitations would allow, but it was not to be.  
One night after work, Moriah was waiting outside the precinct for LaCroix. He was meeting her after work, then taking her to the opening night of a new play. Standing to the side of the entrance so as not to block anyone's path, she saw Nick exit the building. Not knowing that anything was amiss, Moriah was her usual cheerful self when Nick approached her.  
"Hi, Nick," Moriah said, smiling.  
"Moriah, I want to talk to you," Nick said, grabbing her wrist.  
Moriah was not overly concerned at the moment. "What about?"  
A harsh look appeared on Nick's face. "I heard that you've been seen in LaCroix's company many times."  
"Now, where did you hear that?" she asked, while maintaining her smile.  
"It doesn't matter where I heard it. I just want to know if it's true or not," he said in a very low tone of voice.  
Trying to pull her wrist out of his grip, she answered. "Nick, it is none of your business who my friends are, but I've nothing to hide. Yes, I've been seeing Lucien going on two years now."  
Dragging her towards the alley, he grabbed her other wrist. "It is my business if LaCroix is involved. He can cause you nothing but pain, misery, and possibly death," he growled.  
Fear was beginning to creep its way into Moriah's head. The fear, mixed with her anger, made a desperate mixture. She pulled against his hold on her, which proved to be a fruitless effort: even a large man would have had no effect on Nick. "Nick, please let me go," she pleaded. "Lucien is going to be here any minute."  
"No," Nick said, jerking her to him. "Moriah, I won't let you go with him. He'll destroy you."  
"No, he won't. He has been nothing but kind and generous to me. I see a side of him that you and the others don't," she tried to explain. "You're the one that is being mean and nasty. Now please, let me go."  
"You can't be acting on your own. He must have you under some sort of mind control," Nick said, looking at her eyes.  
"No, Nick, he doesn't. I'm the one that approached him. He didn't approach me. I'm acting on my own, free and clear," she said, straining against his grip, her wrist beginning to burn from the friction. "Nick, you are hurting me. Let me go!" she demanded again with tears in her eyes.  
Moriah heard a noise behind her, then she heard LaCroix's voice. "Release her, Nicolas," he demanded. "Can't you see that you are hurting her?" Nick maintained his grip on her wrists and showed no sign that he intended to release her.  
"Lucien, make him let go," Moriah pleaded, looking back at him, at which time LaCroix could see the tears glistening on her cheeks.  
"Nicolas, you must release her," LaCroix said, trying to calm Nick. "You have dedicated your life to atoning for your past misdeeds against humans, and now you are hurting one who has done you no harm. Your quarrel is with me. Release Moriah." Nick stared at him, but still did not make any movement to release her. "Nicolas, do not force me to make you release her," LaCroix threatened angrily.  
"Answer one question first," Nick said, looking at Moriah, then at LaCroix.  
"What?" LaCroix inquired impatiently.  
Loosing his grip on Moriah's wrists, Nick asked, "Why do you care what happens to a human? You've destroyed every one of them that you've come in contact with."  
"I am not sure myself," LaCroix answered, looking down at Moriah. He looked back at Nick and said, "Maybe it is because Moriah likes me. She is one of the few people who like me for what I am and does not fear me. She accepts what I am and has not consciously tried to change me. And I will admit having her around has changed my views on a few things. Now, that I have answered your question, will you release her wrists before you break them?"  
Since Nick still showed no signs of releasing his grip on Moriah, LaCroix put his hands on Nick's and slowly tightened his grip until Nick was forced to let go of her. Moriah quickly stepped backwards out of Nick's reach, rubbing her wrists. The skin where his hands had been was already turning a purple color. She was going to have some outrageous bruises in a few hours. Looking up and seeing the two vampires talking, she ran towards the edge of the alley. As she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she ran into Natalie, almost knocking them both to the ground.  
Moriah turned to walk away, but Natalie put her hand on her arm. "Moriah, what's wrong?" Natalie asked concerned. "You've been crying."  
Moriah did not turn around. She shook her head and muttered, "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."  
"Yes, there is," Natalie persisted. "Tell me what it is."  
"Do you really want to know?" Moriah asked, turning around.  
"Yes," Natalie said.  
Moriah pulled back her sleeves and held up her arms. "Look what your boyfriend just did to me, just because he doesn't like the company that I've been keeping."  
"Oh my God," Natalie exclaimed, reaching out and touching Moriah's wrists. "Let me take a look at them."  
"If you wish," Moriah remarked, leaving her wrists in Natalie's hands. "I just want to get away from here and Nick."  
Natalie pulled Moriah under a street lamp and examined her wrists. "There doesn't seem to be anything broken, but you will have some bad bruises for a while. You say that Nick did this to you?"  
"Yes, he did. I can't believe it myself," Moriah said, looking at her wrists and shaking her head.  
"Where is Nick?" Natalie asked, putting her hand on Moriah's shoulder.  
"The last time I saw him, he and Lucien were having a discussion in the alley."  
"LaCroix!" Natalie exclaimed. "What does he have to do with this?"  
"He's the one that I have been seeing," Moriah explained. "Nick's just a little behind though, I've been seeing Lucien for almost two years now."  
Natalie was shocked. "You've actually been around LaCroix and he hasn't hurt you?"  
"What is it with you people?" Moriah said, putting her hands on her hips, then jerking them back because the movement hurt her wrists. "Everyone acts as if he were a monster, but he's not. He has been the perfect gentleman and companion."  
Natalie wanted very hard to believe Moriah. She knew that Moriah was fiercely independent and the type to do something because someone had told her not to do so. She also knew that Moriah was very astute at judging character, which is what made her a good cop. Wanting to be careful and not push Moriah into becoming defensive, she commented, "Really? I have never known LaCroix to show overwhelming kindness. Occasionally, I will see him help Nick, when he didn't have to, but nothing to support what you are saying."  
"Natalie, please," Moriah pleaded. "I know what I am doing. You don't see the side of Lucien I see. No one does."  
Afraid to push Moriah any further, Natalie said, "All right, if this is what you want, I'll see what I can do. I will talk to Nick. I suppose that it really isn't any of his business anyway, is it?"  
"That's what I was trying to tell him when he did this," Moriah said, rubbing her wrists. "If Lucien had not shown up, I don't think that he would've let me go until he had broken something. It's as if he is possessed."  
LaCroix stepped out of the alley causing Natalie to take a few steps backwards. Looking at Natalie's reaction, Moriah shook her head. Walking over to Moriah, he picked up her hands, turning them over in his and examining her wrists.  
"Did he do this to you?" LaCroix demanded. When Moriah looked down at the ground and did not answer, he immediately softened his tone. "Moriah, answer me."  
"Yes," Moriah said barely above a whisper. Turning towards the alley, LaCroix had every intention of confronting Nick, but Moriah stopped him. "No, Lucien," she pleaded, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Please, let it drop. I just want to go home and put my wrists in some ice. You don't mind if we miss the play tonight, do you?"  
"Are you sure?" LaCroix asked, looking at her wrist again. "Nicolas should not be allowed to get away with it." This was the first time that anyone had tried to hurt Moriah in his presence and it infuriated him. LaCroix did not want to leave things as they were, but seeing how determined she was to keep the peace, he did as she asked.  
"I am sure," Moriah said, wrapping her hand around his arm. "Just take me home or to THE RAVEN, I don't care which."  
"I do not mind missing the play. I will take you anywhere that you want to go," LaCroix said, putting his hand on hers.  
Natalie stood in the shadows watching them with great interest. This was definitely a side of LaCroix that she had never seen before. The treatment that Moriah was receiving at LaCroix's hands was nothing short of caring and loving. Obviously, the injury that Nick had inflicted upon Moriah had made LaCroix very angry, but he was not going to punish Nick. Natalie wondered why. When it occurred to Natalie that it was Moriah who had stopped him, she was very impressed. Moriah, apparently, had a great deal of influence on LaCroix's actions.  
"Excuse me," Natalie said, stepping towards LaCroix. "But I've been standing here watching you and I cannot believe that you didn't punish him for his attack on Moriah. What frame of mind was he in when you left him?"  
"He was still talking and mumbling to himself about having to rescue Moriah from me. I have never seen him like this," LaCroix answered, putting his hand on Moriah's.  
Natalie looked at Moriah for a moment, then said, "You go on home or wherever. Take care of yourself. I'll see if I can through to him."  
"Thank you, Natalie," Moriah said, hugging her.  
"You're my friend, and we always help our friends. I don't see where associating with LaCroix is harming you at all; I only see it helping you both, so I'll do what I can," Natalie promised.  
Moriah and LaCroix walked away, leaving Natalie standing at the entrance of the alley. When Moriah looked back, she saw Nick emerge from the alley. Walking over to him, Natalie tried to talk to him, but he brushed her off and continued to stare after Moriah and LaCroix. Nick started walking after them, but Natalie grabbed his arm. Moriah turned her head back around and sighed.  
"Moriah, I am sorry that you had to go through that because of me," LaCroix said, looking down at her as they walked.  
"It's not your fault. It's Nick's," Moriah said angrily. "I'm still so angry. What gives him the right to tell me whom I can and cannot see? He's not my master, thank heavens."  
LaCroix glanced down at her with a hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "You are strong for a human. I know that some would think that I have lost my senses for allowing you to live for so long without killing you or bringing you over, but I like things the way they are."  
"So do I. I've never liked being with anyone as much as I like being with you. Do you think that Nick will continue to harass me?"  
"It is quite possible. I do not think that I was able to get through to him. I know that I am not one of his favorite people, but I never thought that he would hurt you. Just the same, try not to go out at night by yourself for a while and be very careful if you do."  
"I will," she promised.  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
Over the next year, Nick made Moriah's life pure hell. She never knew when or where he would appear. When she did encounter him, he always harassed her about her association with LaCroix. If Moriah was waiting for LaCroix outside the precinct, Nick would come out, yell at her, and grab her wrists as he had done the first night. He would only release her when LaCroix or Natalie arrived on the scene. She could not go anywhere by herself at night without him showing up nine times out of ten. Shopping alone had become totally out of the question, except during the daylight hours. If she were shopping alone in the evening, Nick would be waiting for her when she exited the store. Sometimes, he even had the nerve to follow her as she walked through the stores. LaCroix had to come to her rescue more times than she cared to count, and Natalie seemed to have no influence over Nick whatsoever. It had come to the point where LaCroix was meeting her after work and walking her home or to THE RAVEN. Once she was home and inside her apartment, she stayed there until morning unless LaCroix was taking her some place that night.  
She could not report it to the police. What was she going to say, "I am being harassed by a vampire, who happens to be one of your detectives, because he does not approve of whom I'm seeing"? She did not think that would be a wise move. LaCroix tried to protect her, but Nick was part of him and whether he admitted it or not, Moriah knew that he cared for Nick and really did not want to hurt him. Moriah had virtually become a prisoner in her own home and there was nothing that anyone could do to help her, so she slowly came to the decision that she would have to help herself.  
It seemed that the only option for her was to leave town. She knew that if she stayed in town, she would be tempted to see LaCroix and the harassment from Nick would continue. Leaving town, she decided, would be easier on everyone all the way around. She would never forget LaCroix, but she would learn to live without him. LaCroix, on the other hand, would eventually be forced to give her up or bring. her over, so Moriah made his decision for him. In Nick's case, it would be, "out of sight, out of mind." If she were not around, then he could not harass her.  
Moriah thought about all of the places that she could possibly go and finally settled on the town where she had grown up in Texas. Once the decision was made she moved rapidly. It only took her two days to prepare to leave. Packing everything that she could take with her, she made plans to ship the rest. The only person who knew she was leaving was the captain, and she swore him to secrecy. She did not want LaCroix to have the chance to try to stop her.  
On the day that she was to leave town, Moriah threw the last few things left in her apartment in her car and drove to THE RAVEN. Pulling her car up next to curb, she turned off the ignition and stared at the front door. This was one of the hardest things that she ever had to do. "Dear John" letters were not her usual style, but neither was existing in the world of vampires. Moriah looked down at the envelope in her hand, then at the front door of THE RAVEN. Eventually, she took a deep breath, got out of the car, and walked up to the door, shoving the envelope through the mail slot. It was the middle of the day, so Moriah knew that LaCroix would be inside THE RAVEN. Leaning against the wall, Moriah waited for him to pick up the envelope. The sound of tearing paper alerted her to the fact that the envelope had been picked up, torn open, and its contents pulled out. A few seconds later, she heard him call her name. Bursting into tears, she ran for her car, started the engine, and drove away from him, possibly forever.  
Inside THE RAVEN, LaCroix heard Moriah run to the car, then heard it speed off down the road. Trapped inside by the daylight, he was helpless, having no way to go after her. He turned away from the door and looked into the darkness that surrounded him. The little bit of light that he possessed had sped away from him into parts unknown. Sitting on a nearby barstool, all he could do was finish reading her letter:  
  
Dear Lucien,  
  
This is the only way I could think of to put a little peace back into everyone's life, especially mine. Nick is not going to leave me alone. I can't stay in town and not share your company, so I feel that I must leave. If I knew another way around it, I would do it. I realize that Nick is your creation, therefore your child your son. As your son, I realize that there is a certain bond between you, and I don't want to break that bond. You have protected me from him when you could, but short of destroying him, I don't think that there is anyway to stop him from harassing me. I feel as if I have gotten into the middle of a family feud and now it is time to step gracefully out of it.  
I can't tell you what your company has meant to me. You have taught me so much, and until Nick started interfering, made me feel so safe. I don't want to leave. It is breaking my heart to do so, but I can not continue with the way things are. I know that this sounds corny, but I feel as if I have finally found my soul mate and now I am losing him.  
I am going home. I will send you the address and telephone number when I am settled. If you are not angry with me after reading this letter, feel free to call or write me.  
Please do not tell anyone that you know where I have gone. The less that everyone knows the better.  
  
Love, Moriah  
  
After he finished reading Moriah's letter, LaCroix stared around the empty bar; it suddenly seemed much emptier than it had in the last three years. He stood up and walked across the room, picking up a glass from the bar where he had left it. Suddenly, something in him snapped and he slammed the glass down on the bar. Dropping Moriah's letter to the floor, he picked up several barstools near him and let them sail across the room. If Nicolas had purposely searched for a way to punish him for all the years of pain and suffering, he could not have devised a more fitting punishment, chasing away the only ray of light and real companionship that LaCroix had had in centuries. Walking over to where he had tossed the barstools, he picked them up and carried them back to their proper places. A flash of white on the floor caught his eye and he reached down, picking up Moriah's letter. Clutching the letter tightly in his hand and staring at the door, he knew that his only hope of ever seeing Moriah again lay in her promise to contact him when she was settled.  
  
CHAPTER 4  
  
Down in Texas, Moriah found a house near her hometown and a job as a police officer in a neighboring town. With all of the unpacking and getting acquainted with her new job, it was a little over a week before Moriah was able to mail a letter to LaCroix. She dropped the letter containing her address and telephone number in the mailbox. She hoped that he was not so angry with her that he had decided to forget about her and go on with his life.  
A few days after she mailed the letter, Moriah arrived home to the sound of the phone ringing. She ran to the door and fumbled with her keys. Finally, she managed to unlock the door. Dropping everything in her arms on the floor, she dove for the phone. She untangled the cord and placed the receiver against her ear.  
"Hello," Moriah puffed.  
"Hello, Moriah," the voice on the other end said.  
Moriah did not recognize the voice right away and she was about to ask, when she realized who it was. "Lucien!" she cried.  
"You almost did not recognize my voice," he said softly. "You have not been away that long."  
"You must remember that we've never talked on the phone before," she said, twirling her finger in the cord. "How would I know your telephone voice? Besides, I wasn't sure that you'd call. I thought that you might be angry with me."  
Moriah heard surprise in LaCroix's voice. "How could I be angry with you for something that is not your fault? Now, I was angry at the way that you left. You did not even tell me to my face. I realize now, though, that you did what you thought was best."  
"I miss you terribly," Moriah said softly, stretching out on the couch. "There's no one here to talk to, and no one can talk intelligently about the things that we discuss. I stay pretty much to myself. Work, come home and read or watch television."  
"I must say that I am not sorry to hear that," he said, and she could hear a hint of satisfaction in his voice.  
"Miss me, do you?" she teased.  
"Moriah, you know I do. There is no one here who likes me enough to talk all through the night or day with me, take walks with me, or go to the opera with me."  
Moriah was quiet for a minute. "I really didn't mean to punish you, but I honestly couldn't take it anymore. I was about to break and do something really stupid."  
"And what might that be?" LaCroix asked curiously.  
"Stake his ass," Moriah said point blankly.  
Moriah heard him laughing on the other end. "You really think that you could do that?"  
"No, that's why I left. I couldn't destroy Nick anymore than you could. The way my luck's been going, I'd have been killed instead."  
LaCroix hesitated for a moment. "Would you mind if I came down for a visit?"  
Moriah was thrilled and it showed in her voice. "No, not at all. I was hoping that you would. I've already prepared for that possibility. The whole house, except for a couple of rooms, can be blacked out."  
"You sound like you were sure that I would contact you," LaCroix mused.  
"As I said earlier, I wasn't sure. I just hoped that you felt about me the way that I felt about you, that's all."  
"And how is that?" he asked, teasing her.  
Moriah was not quite ready to say the words. "You know," she said quietly.  
"I have no idea," he replied.  
LaCroix was making it hard on her. "I love you," she whispered into the receiver. "Is that what you wanted to hear? I love you, Lucien LaCroix."  
LaCroix's end of the receiver grew silent and remained silent for several minutes. After a few minutes of listening to the nothing but air and getting no response when she called his name, Moriah decided to hang up the telephone. Reaching over, she replaced the receiver on the cradle, then she walked back outside to close and lock the car. Before going back in the house, she stood out in the yard for a moment, staring up at the stars and thanking them for the call that she had just received. Walking into the house, she closed and locked the door behind her, then walked to the bedroom. She removed her clothes and changed into an old shirt and knee socks, then walked to the kitchen to make herself something to eat. As Moriah was sitting down on the couch with a plate and the television remote in her hands, the phone rang. Setting her food and the remote on the coffee table, she reached for the phone.  
"Hello," Moriah said.  
"Moriah, why did you hang up?" the voice at the other end asked quietly.  
Moriah chuckled to herself. "Lucien, I didn't think that you were there anymore," she explained softly. "You hadn't said anything for almost five minutes. I thought you'd hung up because of how I answered your question."  
Moriah heard LaCroix pause and take a breath. "No," he said. "I did not hang up. It is been so long since I have cared for anyone who has actually cared for me, that I was in shock."  
"So, did I scare you? Are you still coming to see me?" she asked hesitantly.  
"Yes, I am still coming. I have to. As for the scared part, I am finding things out about myself that I did not know still existed."  
"Such as?"  
"I love you, too, Moriah " he admitted. "I think I do. Anyway, it has been so long, that I am not sure what love is anymore. I do know that I am miserable without you."  
Moriah sighed. "Now, are you going to flake out on me like Nick? I realize that human/vampire relationships are supposed to be doomed from the start. I have no problem with letting things go on the way that they have been for a while longer."  
"I am supposed to be the master, but there is one thing that I have learned from Nicolas. He worries too much about being fair to Natalie. Even though she tells him that it does not matter, he is putting a strain on them both."  
"How is Nick by the way?"  
"Since you left, he has calmed down, but now he feels badly about forcing you to leave."  
Moriah shifted the phone to the other hand. "Face it, Lucien," she said. "The poor guy's never going to be happy. It's always going to be something with him. One day he may get his mortality, then he will want his immortality back."  
When Moriah finally hung up the phone and looked at her watch, she discovered that they had talked a total of four hours. Sleep came to her much easier that night, because she knew that LaCroix was not angry with her and that he would soon be with her again.  
Moriah arrived home late one night, four nights after LaCroix's telephone call. Before she even got out of the car, she knew something was wrong. Looking carefully around her, she slowly climbed out of the car and carefully walked towards the front door. Suddenly, she realized what was wrong. There were no night sounds; there were no crickets chirping, no frogs croaking, and no locusts clicking in the trees. As Moriah neared the front door, she began to have the feeling that she was being watched, but when she turned she did not see anyone. Her first thought was LaCroix, but she dismissed it immediately for she knew that he would not try to scare her this way. Less than two minutes after letting herself in the house, she had searched the house and locked all the doors and windows. With herself locked securely inside, she reached for the phone. Moriah dialed the number that LaCroix had given her to reach him at THE RAVEN, if she needed him. The person who answered the phone said that LaCroix had left for parts unknown a day earlier. She thanked him, hung up the phone, and prepared herself for a long, sleepless night.  
Moriah turned off all the lights and looked outside occasionally to see if there was any movement. Although she had not heard any rumors of vampires in the area, that did not mean that they were not there. Something was outside her house. It had caused the night creatures to silence their songs. Sleep was definitely out of the question. Luckily, it was Friday night and she did not have to go to work the next day. To keep her company, Moriah turned the television on, but kept the sound low so that she could her anything unusual happening outside. Curling up on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest, she waited impatiently for morning to arrive.  
Just after midnight, Moriah heard a noise on the porch. Pulling the curtain and looking out the window, she saw nothing. As she turned to sit down, there was a knock at the door. Grabbing a heavy stick that she kept by the door, Moriah slowly walked up to the door and peeked out the window. Flinging the door open, Moriah threw herself into LaCroix's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
"My, my," LaCroix exclaimed as his arms wrapped around her. "I am happy to see you, too."  
When Moriah realized what she had done, she pulled herself away from him and stepped back. Over the three years that they had been together, Moriah had never initiated any of the physical contact, except an occasional touch on the arm or shoulder. Knowing that the wrong movement could trigger a very unwanted reaction, she had let LaCroix decided what was proper and when.  
Moriah looked up at him and he could see the fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Lucien" Moriah apologized. "I shouldn't have done that, but I've been so scared all night."  
"There is no reason to be sorry. Simply hugging me will not cause any unwanted reactions," LaCroix said smiling. "What I want to know is, why are you so scared? You were not this scared when Nick was harassing you."  
Moriah started shivering, so he put his arms around her and pulled her back into his embrace. "I wish I knew," she said, laying her head on his chest, already feeling much safer. "When I arrived home, there were no night sounds, and I have the feeling that I've been watched all night. My first thought was vampires. Did you sense any when you arrived or landed, as the case may be?"  
LaCroix turned his head and looked out into the woods surrounding her house. "There are definitely vampires in the area, but I do not feel any here at this time."  
"At least with Nick, I knew what I was up against. He made me angry, but he never really scared me after that first time." Realizing that they were still standing on the porch, Moriah grabbed his hand and said, "Where are my manners? Come inside."  
LaCroix grabbed his bag and after taking another look into the woods, he followed her inside the house. Once they were inside, she closed the door and turned all the locks.  
"You really are frightened," LaCroix observed as he walked around her living room, looking at the locks bolted on the windows. "This house is locked up tighter than the freezer at the back of the club."  
Moriah turned and watched him walk around the room. "I had no idea what was outside, and I still don't know for sure, but at least you are here now."  
Leaning against the wall, LaCroix asked curiously, "Moriah, does my being here really make you feel safer? Most women would be scared to death to have a vampire as a house guest."  
Nodding her head, Moriah replied, "Yes, Lucien, you do. I know that you wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt me. There is no way that I could ever be afraid of you. All I need is for you to give me your ground rules."  
LaCroix cocked his head and looked at he questioningly. "Ground rules?"  
"Yes, what I can and can't do around you to keep from triggering some unwanted instinct or reaction," she said crossing her arms over her chest.  
LaCroix walked towards her smiling. "Oh, that is easy. You can hug me, you can hold my hand, and I can put my arms around you."  
Moriah looked up at him and asked softly. "Can I put a kiss on your cheek every now and then?"  
LaCroix smiled down at her and wondered how he had gotten so lucky. "I think that would be perfectly fine."  
"That's all I need to know. Now for my ground rule."  
LaCroix laughed. "Just one?"  
"Yes, there's only one. You will drink only cow's blood while you're here," Moriah said, pointing towards the kitchen. "There's several weeks worth in the fridge."  
LaCroix smiled at her. "I think that I can do that easily enough, since I have not actually drunk human blood in quite a while anyway. It is much easier and safer to obtain the bottled kind these days."  
Moriah walked towards the kitchen and said, "There are only two rooms that you do not have access to; one is the kitchen and the other is the main bathroom. I couldn't get them dark enough. I will make sure that the kitchen door is closed before you come into the living room. Come and I'll show you your room."  
LaCroix picked up his bag and followed her through the rest of the house. She opened the doors and showed him the rest of the rooms, ending with his room.  
"Settle yourself in. I'll be in the living room, if you want me," Moriah said. After taking one last look at him to make sure that he was indeed in her house and that she was not dreaming, she walked towards the living room.  
Moriah walked down the hallway feeling much better. Just knowing that LaCroix was in the house made her feel safer. She walked into the living room and curled up on the couch. Picking up the remote, she turned the sound up on the television, then piled some pillows against the arm of the couch and made herself comfortable. The sound of the television began to lull Moriah to sleep. When she was halfway between consciousness and sleep, something jolted her awake. Listening closely, she realized that the night sounds had stopped again. She jumped off the couch and ran towards the hallway to get LaCroix, but he met her at the living room door. As she opened her mouth to speak, he put his fingers over her lips. Instinctively, she knew that he was sensing the presence of other vampires. Walking towards the door, he grasped the doorknob firmly in his hand.  
Moriah followed him to the door. "Will you be all right?" she whispered.  
LaCroix nodded his head. "I am very old and very ancient," he whispered. "It will take more than a group of youngsters to harm me. Moriah, you must stay inside, though. Do not come out under any circumstances, do you hear me?"  
LaCroix released the doorknob, grabbed her shoulders, and looked into her eyes. His eyes were flashing and the shade of blue had changed to a light cornflower color. Knowing that he was angry, Moriah was not about to defy him.  
"Yes, Lucien," she promised.  
LaCroix opened the door and walked out onto the porch. Closing the door and locking it behind him, Moriah walked over to one of the windows and peeked out. Since she wanted to see and hear what was happening, she sat under the window and cracked it a little. Standing on the porch, LaCroix looked out into the trees surrounding her house, then he took a few steps off the porch. There was movement in the trees as about ten figures emerged and stepped into the front yard. The figures were all men, or at least Moriah thought they were men, dressed in jeans and old flannel shirts and T-shirts  
"Howdy, neighbor," one of them said. "Whatcha' doin' in our neck of the woods?"  
"Oh great," Moriah thought, throwing her hand up to her forehead. "Just what I need redneck: vampires."  
"I am here visiting a friend," LaCroix answered. "And I must insist that you leave her alone."  
"He wants us to leave her alone," another one of them laughed. "The fancy man wants us to leave that sweet young thing inside alone."  
Still a third one growled, "You don't come into our town and tell us what to do."  
LaCroix narrowed his eyes and stared at him. "And you do not harm or harass someone who is under my protection."  
"Oooh, I'm scared," the third vampire replied, faking a shiver.  
Moriah never knew what happened next, because there was a flash of light and she hid her eyes in her hands. There was a great deal of yelling and a flashing of lights. When the noise died down, she slowly lifted her head and peered out the window. All she saw was LaCroix standing alone in the front yard. Since she promised him that she would stay inside, she had to wait by the door for him to come inside. When she heard footsteps on the porch, she looked out the window to make sure that it was him.  
Following LaCroix's orders, Moriah did not open the door until she heard him say, "Moriah, you can open the door now."  
Moriah pulled the door open and stepped out onto the porch. "Are they gone?"  
"Yes. I doubt that they will be back tonight, but you are not safe here. They are determined to take you over to the other side."  
Moriah wrapped her arms around herself. "Why did they show up tonight? Do you think they knew that you were coming?"  
"No, that was just a coincidence. They have been watching you, since you arrived," LaCroix said, pushing her hair away from her face.  
She looked up at him and LaCroix could see the fear in Moriah's eyes. "Lucien, promise me that you will bring me across before you let some redneck who does not even know what a ballet is own me," she pleaded.  
Watching the fear grow in her eyes, LaCroix wished that he could make her feel better, but he could not do so. "I do not know if I can. I do not want to bring you over. I will only promise that if there is no choice, I will try."  
A promise would have really made Moriah happy, and she felt almost insulted that he did not want to bring her across, but she felt that she would have to be satisfied with what she received. Looking out into the woods, she realized that the night sounds had begun again. "I suppose that we will cross that bridge when we come to it," she said, sighing . "For now, how about sitting on the porch and enjoying an early morning in the country?"  
Knowing that he had not said what Moriah had wanted to hear, he welcomed the opportunity for a distraction. "All right. I have been in the city for so long that I have not experienced a cool country night in a long time."  
Moriah led him over to the porch swing. The swing began to move back and forth slowly as Moriah sat down on one end. Before he sat down, LaCroix watched her swinging and thought how innocent and child-like she looked. To him, her appearance was very deceiving, because her personality was anything but weak.. He sat down beside her and leaned back, putting his arm over the back of the swing. Moriah started the swing moving back and forth, then leaned back. The movement of the swing relaxed him and before he was aware of what he was doing, he had his arm around her shoulders and she was leaning against him. After an hour of sitting quietly and listening to the sounds of the night, Moriah looked up at LaCroix. Noticing that his eyes were closed, she studied his face.  
LaCroix did not open his eyes, but he could feel Moriah watching him. "What are you looking at?" he asked finally, opening his eyes.  
A smug look crept over Moriah's face. "I was wondering what your vampire friends would say, if they could see you now, sitting here with me in the front porch swing, like a couple of old folks."  
There was a silence, then LaCroix said in all seriousness, "I am an old folk."  
The hilarity of his comment hit Moriah and she tried to stifle a giggle. As age goes, he was around two thousand years old and the oldest living, breathing, and speaking person that she knew. By trying to stifle the giggle, Moriah almost choked herself.  
Although LaCroix was fully aware that Moriah had wanted to giggle, he chose to ignore it and continued talking. "Do you realize that since you started coming around, I have not harassed anyone or interfered in anyone's life? The regulars think that I am sick." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Now, the day that you left and for two weeks after, I ranted, raved, slammed things, and threw things to the point that no one wanted to be anywhere near me or the club. Nicolas was the only one to come around and that was because he felt guilty about you leaving. I blamed him for you leaving and almost retaliated, but then I realized that you would not have wanted me to do so." He reached over and touched her cheek. "I thought that you were running away from me, because you could not handle having a relationship with a vampire anymore and used Nick as an excuse."  
Moriah was obviously hurt by his comment. "Do you really believe that I am that shallow? After three years with you that I thought were good years, you think that I would throw it away because you are a vampire? I have never been treated as good as you treat me by any male of any race or species," she said, turning so that she could see his face clearly.  
The hurt showing on Moriah's face tugged at LaCroix. "I am sorry," he apologized. "I spoke without thinking. I just thought that once you were away from me, it would be a case of 'out of sight, out of mind', but I was wrong." There was a pause while he placed a kiss on the top of her head, then he said, "Then your letter showed up and I knew that you did not run away from me. No one knew why, but they were very glad when I calmed down and became semi-agreeable again."  
"Does being around me really make you change your personality that much?" Moriah asked lightly touching his cheek.  
LaCroix shook his head. "It does not change my personality. It is just that you make me feel not so alone, so I am not as prone to make others as miserable as I am. When you have been around as long as I have, you become quite lonely and search for companionship. Loneliness can make you do mean and nasty things."  
"So, my theory was correct," Moriah said tapping her chin. "I thought that if someone really liked you for what you were, you would not be half as nasty as I had heard that you were."  
Leaning forward and turning towards her, LaCroix inquired, "And when did you know this?"  
"Well, you remember the first night that I stumbled into THE RAVEN?" Moriah asked, chuckling. When LaCroix nodded, she said, "Well, it was not that night. It was after my next two encounters with you. There was just something in your eyes that led me to believe that you were not a mean man. You were just a very lonely one. It took me a while to dismiss what I was being told and act on what I knew."  
Standing up and stretching, LaCroix commented. "I, for one, am glad that you did."  
Moriah began to yawn. "I think that it is time that I go inside," she said. "I have had a long day and night. Do you mind being left alone?"  
"No, I don't mind," he answered.  
Moriah stood up and walked over to the front door. Reaching inside the door, she produced a key and handed it to him. "Here is a key to the house," she said. "You don't have to come inside. Go enjoy the rest of the darkness. I will lock myself snugly inside."  
He looked out into the trees and narrowed his eyes. He did not like what he was detecting. Not wanting to leave her alone, LaCroix took the key from her, but said, "I've changed my mind. I'm a little tired myself after the journey. I think that I will go inside with you."  
LaCroix never did go out on his own. He did not want to let Moriah out of his sight at night with the redneck vampires around, as Moriah had started calling them. The only town that offered their sort of entertainment was over a hundred miles, so they did not go out very often. Many times when Moriah had to work overtime, LaCroix would wait at the station to accompany her home. The other vampires did not have a chance to capture Moriah with LaCroix keeping watch. There was talk of Moriah coming home with him, but she said that she could not deal with Nick again. The talk shifted to him staying with her, but Moriah said that he would stagnate and eventually tire of her in a place without any intellectual stimulation or other vampires with whom to visit. He pointed out that there were vampires about and she asked him what they would talk about. "How old the cow patties were?" It seemed to be a no-win situation, which was soon to be solved by an act of desperation.  
  
CHAPTER 5  
  
One evening Moriah had to work late and it was dark when it was time for her to leave for home. LaCroix had made a habit of meeting her, but for some reason that night, he was not outside waiting when she walked to her car. LaCroix had always headed off any encounter that Moriah might have had with the redneck vampires; hence she had not seen them since that first night at her house. Since she personally had not seen them, she thought nothing of driving home alone. Shrugging her shoulders, she climbed in the car and started the drive between the town where she worked and the town where she lived. Moriah had taken all the necessary precautions to keep safe, rolling up the windows and locking the doors. She thought she was safe, but she had not counted on a stray dog helping the vampires' cause.  
The first part of the drive went without any problems, which lulled Moriah into a false sense of security. Halfway between the two towns, a dog darted in front of Moriah's car and she swerved to miss it. Although she missed the dog, the car skidded into a ditch. After revving the engine several times, Moriah concluded that the car was firmly stuck in the ditch. Wanting to determine how bad the damage was, she climbed out of the car. As Moriah was walking around the car, she heard noises behind her and instinctively jumped back inside the car, locking the doors. Thus the car became her prison. It would not move out of the ditch and there was not place else for her to run. Looking out the front windshield, she saw something stepping out of the trees and walking towards the car. As it drew closer, she recognized it as the redneck vampires. There had to be something in the car that she could use to defend herself, but all she could find was the cross around her neck. It was such a tiny cross, but she clasped it in her hand anyway. When the faces started pressing against the glass, she buried her head in her lap. Pounding on the windows, the vampires eventually broke through the glass, then hands came through the windows grabbing at her. She moved into the middle of the car and as far away from the hands as she could get, but it did not deter them for long. Moriah heard a loud crash, then a pair of hands grabbed her, pulling her from the car.  
Moriah turned around to see who was pulling her from the car only to discover that it was the ugliest of the redneck vampires. As the vampire carried her towards the trees, the other vampires circled them, grabbing at her. Kicking and screaming were out of the question. What good would it have done, except sap her strength? Luck was with Moriah, though, as the vampire carrying her tripped and dropped her to the ground. She jumped up and tried to run, but she did not get very far because the other vampires circled her immediately. Her only hope was that LaCroix was looking for her and would find her in time. The vampires closed the circle around her and began to creep closer to her when they realized that they had not decided which one of them was going to bring her across. A discussion followed of whom was going to get the privilege and. Fortunately, the discussion turned into an argument, which bought her some time. It was finally decided who would take her, but when they turned to face her, they were in for a surprise. LaCroix appeared in front of their eyes, placing himself between them and Moriah. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him.  
"I thought I told you to leave her alone," LaCroix said to the group that surrounded them. "Are your heads made of cement or have you been drinking bad blood?"  
Moriah noticed that there was something different about the redneck vampires tonight. They seemed stronger than they had appeared before, but LaCroix was very old and ancient, therefore much stronger. If Moriah had not been there, he would have defeated them in no time. As it was, he could not take his eyes off of her, for fear that one of the other vampires would sneak up and take her. Using a few smaller illusions, LaCroix managed to gain enough time for them to run to an abandoned barn. Once inside, they closed and barred the doors, then moved to the middle of the barn.  
Moriah turned to LaCroix with terror in her eyes. He had never seen her terrified before. "It is time, Lucien," she cried, grabbing his shoulders. "You have to bring to me over. You cannot let them take me. Please!!"  
LaCroix hesitated. "I do not know. I do not want to condemn you to a life that you might hate."  
The tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. "I would rather be yours, than theirs. Look at me," she demanded. "Can you honestly imagine me spending an eternity with one of those goons, never seeing a ballet or an opera again. Never hearing Mozart or Bach again. Please. I'm begging you not to let them take me."  
Moriah and LaCroix heard pounding on the doors and the sides of the barn, the other vampires were trying to break through. Moriah turned to him. "They are almost here. If you won't bring me across, then kill me," she begged. "Afterwards, you can just fly away, but please do something."  
"I could never kill you," he said, looking down at her and shaking his head. "I suppose that I must bring you over and hope that you do not end up hating me."  
"I could never hate you, unless you allow me fall into their hands," she said, placing her hands on his chest. Then he heard her softly say, "Please."  
As LaCroix reached for her, Moriah ripped off her cross and threw it to the ground. Leaning over her and looking into her eyes, he saw the fear being replaced with some emotion that he did not recognize, but it made her eyes shine. Slowly bending her head back as the noise from outside grew louder, he prepared to bring her across, but nothing happened. All Moriah saw was the glow of his eyes.  
LaCroix stood over her for a minute, then turned away and said, "I cannot do it. I am sorry, My Little One, but I cannot do it."  
Moriah looked around the barn at the wood being splintered from the walls. "No," she said, shaking her head while her eyes filled with tears. "No," she repeated, as she sunk to her knees in the hay. Looking up at him, Moriah said, "What are you still doing here? Find yourself an escape route and fly away. That is unless you want to watch one of them bring me over. Maybe they will let me pick the one. At least I can choose the lesser of the evils. Just remember me and that there was one time when you were really loved." Dropping her head in her hands, Moriah silently let the tears flow.  
The sight of Moriah on her knees crying ripped into LaCroix's very being. He dropped to one knee and knelt beside her. Taking her hands away from her face and lifting her face to his, LaCroix whispered. "Moriah, I said that I could not, not that I would not." He rubbed his cheek against Moriah's tear streaked cheek, then whispered in her ear, "You have to help me bring you across."  
LaCroix's words opened up Moriah's last bit of hope. He wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his sleeve. The noise outside was growing louder as Moriah leaned forward and very slowly kissed him. This was the first time that she had ever kissed LaCroix and it was under the most stressful of circumstances. Turning her head, Moriah kissed him again, but she could not break through LaCroix's icy reserve. His lips would not respond to hers.  
Moriah lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "Please, My Love, let me in," she whispered.  
LaCroix's reserve melted when he saw the love and the desperation in her eyes. This time he covered Moriah's mouth with his and he kissed her. She responded to him immediately, and he continued kissing her deeply, ravenously. Moriah had never been kissed the way that he was kissing her, and she did not want him to stop. Once when she glanced up, she saw that his eyes were beginning to glow a pale yellow-green color. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, he lowered her gently until they were lying in the hay. LaCroix moved from her mouth to her neck, then kissed her neck from one side to the other. There was a tension building up inside Moriah, unlike any that she had ever felt before. It finally built up to a point where all she wanted was to be released of the feeling inside her. When she thought she could stand it no longer, LaCroix turned her head to the side, exposing the creamy white flesh of her neck to his waiting fangs. She felt the points of his fangs touching, then puncturing her flesh. A release of all the tension that had built up inside her swept through her entire body and she lost consciousness.  
LaCroix sat up and looked down at Moriah lying in the straw. Even in her present condition, he could still see her inner strength and innocence shining through. He had sworn that he would never put her through this, but there was a part of him that was glad the deed was finally done and she could now stay with him, forever. Reaching down, he gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Laying her head against his shoulder, he started to slowly pull the pieces of straw from her hair, stopping occasionally, to place a kiss on her forehead. The last of the boards on the sides of the barn were being torn away as she began to stir in his arms.  
When Moriah regained consciousness, she was disoriented for a moment, not knowing where she was. Looking up into LaCroix's face and hearing the sound of splintering wood, the events of the last few hours came flooding back. There was a warm feeling on her neck. When she reached up with her hand, she felt two small puncture wounds. Pulling her hand away, she discovered that it was covered with blood.  
Moriah looked at LaCroix and smiled weakly. "Am I?"  
Smoothing back her hair and running his hand across her forehead, LaCroix whispered, "Yes, you are one of us now. I hope that I never have reason to regret this."  
"It had to be done," she said weakly. "There was no other choice except death, and neither of us could do that."  
Moriah fell back against his shoulder and LaCroix wrapped his arms around her. "I have to get you home, where you can rest," he whispered, placing his lips against her hair. "The transformation is a totally draining experience. After I deal with these idiots, I will take you to the house, and when you are strong enough, I will take you home where you belong. There is no reason to stay here anymore."  
The redneck vampires had broken through and were slowly walking towards Moriah and LaCroix. Adjusting Moriah in his arms and standing up, he prepared to face them.  
"We want the girl," the ugly one that had grabbed Moriah said.  
"Too late," LaCroix said, smiling at them. "She is mine as she was always meant to be."  
"He is lying," another one said. "He would never bring her over." Then in a mocking tone, he added, "He loves her."  
Moriah lifted her head and turned to look at them. The glow in her eyes was enough for them to know that LaCroix was telling the truth. After showing them her eyes, Moriah slumped back against LaCroix's shoulder.  
"He did it," the one that had mocked him said. "The old guy actually did it."  
There were bales of hay stacked in the shape of a chair over to the side, LaCroix set Moriah on these bales, then turned to face the redneck vampires. "Now that I do not have to worry about her anymore, you are going to experience the full fury of my anger. You caused me to do something that I had not planned on doing for a very long while, if at all."  
As Moriah watched, LaCroix stretched himself up to his full height. "The fools," Moriah thought as the redneck vampires surrounded LaCroix and moved in closer. One by one they charged at him and one by one they fell at his feet. For LaCroix, dealing with these upstarts was as easy as swatting flies. All of the redneck vampires fell to their knees, squirming on the floor. One by one they became very still. LaCroix walked around the lumps on the floor. He shook his head and rolled several of them over with his foot.  
Staring down at them, LaCroix shook his head again and said, "The quality of today's vampires is definitely in a decline. Maybe you will think twice before you take on an 'old guy' again or try to harm someone under his or her protection."  
There was silence in the air again, and Moriah thought that it sounded so good. Home and her bed sounded even better. Leaning forward, she leaned her arms on her knees and put her head in her hands. As she was about to lose consciousness again, LaCroix rushed over and caught her.  
Picking her up, LaCroix whispered, "Now to get you home."  
"What did you do to them?" she whispered.  
"Just incapacitated them for a very long while. They will think twice before they challenge me or another old one again."  
LaCroix carried her out of the barn and down to her car. When he saw what the redneck vampires had done to her car, he shook his head, but then he realized that she really did not need it anymore. Surveying the damage, he found that all of the glass was broken and scattered within the car's confines. There was a clean place on the ground a few feet away, so he set Moriah down, while he cleaned out the front seat of the car. After sweeping all the glass out of the front seat, the dashboard, and the floorboard, LaCroix picked Moriah up and set her gently in the passenger's seat, then closed the door. Walking to the back of the car, he lifted up the back of the car and pushed it out of the ditch, pointing it towards the highway. When he looked in the window on the driver's side, Moriah's keys were still in the ignition, so he climbed in and turned the key. Luck was with them. The car started immediately.  
"Can you drive a car?" Moriah asked weakly.  
"Yes, I can drive," LaCroix answered. "I just do not do it too often."  
Pulling the car out on the highway, LaCroix drove towards Moriah's house. In the corner of the car, Moriah was cold and shivering and wanted to be close to LaCroix. There was not enough strength left in her to allow her to move over beside him.. Seeing the shape that she was in and that she wanted to be near him, LaCroix reached over and, opening his coat, pulled Moriah close to him, wrapping the coat around her. Snuggling up next to LaCroix and laying her head on his chest, she rode the rest of the way home going in and out of consciousness. When they reached town, LaCroix left her car at a repair shop just a few blocks from her house and carried her the rest of the way home.  
Earlier in the evening when LaCroix had left to look for Moriah, he had not only left the front door unlocked, but he also left it standing wide open. Now holding Moriah tightly in his arms, he was able to walk through the door and into the house without fumbling for a key. Once on the inside, he reached back with his elbow and pushed the door closed. LaCroix walked into Moriah's bedroom and, while he held her with one arm, pulled down the covers with the other hand. Trying not to disturb her, he laid her gently on the bed and pulled the covers tightly around her, then he left her to rest. It would be a while before Moriah would need him, so LaCroix went to the kitchen to obtain a few things that he knew she would need when she woke. Looking around the kitchen, he realized that she would no longer be able to walk into the kitchen in the daylight. He decided to occupy his time while waiting for Moriah to wake up. Finding paint and a brush in the utility closet, he painted the windows until they were opaque. When he had finished painting, he went to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of blood and a shot glass from the cabinet, and he carried them back to the bedroom and sat beside the bed to wait.  
  
CHAPTER 6  
  
Sitting in a chair beside her bed, LaCroix watched Moriah sleep and thought about how much this little wisp of a thing had changed his life. Moriah offered him companionship and love, without ever asking or expecting him to change. Now that he did not know whether everything could ever be the same again, he was worried that when she woke up and realized the full ramifications of what he had done, she would hate him. LaCroix's thoughts were interrupted when Moriah begin to stir. He stood up and sat on the edge of the bed. Moriah's hair still had bits of straw in it. He pulled her hair out and laid it behind her on the pillow and proceeded to pick out the last pieces of straw. As he pulled the last piece of straw from her hair, she opened her eyes and smiled faintly at him  
Moriah's smile did not look like the smile of someone who hated him and LaCroix could not believe it. He rubbed her forehead and said, "Hello, My Little One. I know that you are feeling very weak and light-headed, but it will pass. You will also go through some more cold chills and shivering." Reaching over, he picked up the bottle from the table and poured a little in the shot glass. "Drink this," he said, lifting her up and holding the glass to her lips. "It will help."  
The smell of the liquid in the glass made Moriah feel even sicker. "Is this what I think it is?"  
"Yes, it is blood, but it is the cow's blood from your refrigerator," he assured her. "I will never do that to you. You must drink it though. It will help calm the chills and shivering."  
Holding her breath, Moriah drank the contents of the glass, shuddering as if she had taken some foul tasting medicine. It occurred to her that it was a medicine and that she would need it from now on to survive. "How much will I need to live?" she asked.  
"Just a small glass about the size of a wine glass and, depending on how much energy you have expended, you may not need it but every other day," LaCroix explained, setting the glass down behind him.  
Moriah sighed. "I've so much to learn," she said, laying back against the pillows and pulling the covers up around her.  
LaCroix leaned on her pillow and said, "That is what I am here for - to teach you, if you still want me to do so?"  
Moriah turned on her side. "Why wouldn't I?"  
"I thought that you might hate me, now that the deed is done."  
When Moriah looked at him, LaCroix saw all the love in her face that had always been there. "Do I look like I hate you?"  
LaCroix leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "No. I was so afraid that you would."  
Moriah reached for his hand. "You said that you never had any intention of bringing me across. What were you going to do with me? Just disappear in a few years when I was too old for you."  
The hand in his was so tiny that it was hard for him to believe that the owner was so strong. LaCroix had always been honest with her, so there was no reason not to be honest now. "There is a part of me that wanted to bring you across, so that I would have you with me forever, but there is also the master side. That side tells me who are good candidates to bring across and who are not. You are not someone that I would not choose to bring over as a fledgling. It was this side that I was trying to obey."  
"Why? Was the master side the side causing you so much trouble trying to bring me across?"  
LaCroix shook his head. "No. I have never had trouble biting anyone. You are the first. It was not the master; it was the man. I did not want to expose you to the dark side or allow you to see me as I appear in my most animalistic form."  
"I saw, but it does not change my feelings for you. I still love you," she said smiling weakly.  
LaCroix looked at Moriah and wondered again how had he managed to be so lucky. "The reason that I would not choose to make you a fledgling is, you are too strong. Your personality is too strong and your life force is too strong. A master never brings across one who has the potential of someday being his equal or stronger," he explained while he gently rubbed her head.  
LaCroix saw Moriah's eyes brighten. "I have potential?"  
In spite of himself, he had to chuckle. "Yes, but it is impossible to tell how much. But I am not too worried. You have one of the nicest and sunniest dispositions that I know of. You could actually bring some light to our dark world." He paused for a moment, then remarked, "You are not acting like this is the end of the world. Why?"  
Moriah smiled and her eyes lit up. "Think of all the advantages and all of things that I'll be able to do. The disadvantages are not that bad. Nick makes too big a deal out of them. I've seen him handle crosses and if he can do that, then to me, he's not damned. I honestly believe that as long as human blood does not cross my lips, then I'm not damned either. Living forever might be a little of a drag, if you don't have someone to share it with."  
"As I said earlier, what a sunny, optimistic personality," he said, smiling.  
The chills and shivers that LaCroix had warned Moriah about suddenly descended upon her. Her teeth began to chatter and her shoulders and arms began to shake. "The chills that you were talking about are starting. I don't suppose that you could lie down and hold me," she said, shivering underneath the covers.  
Turning off the light and putting them in darkness, LaCroix laid on the bed beside Moriah. Using the covers as a cocoon, LaCroix wrapped her up tightly; then he wrapped his arms around her and held the cocoon close to him. The layers of sheets and covers moved and rippled as Moriah's body shivered and jerked underneath. The more violent the shivers, the tighter LaCroix's arms held her. Two hours after they began, the shivers subsided and she fell into a slumber. LaCroix was afraid that he would disturb her if he moved, so he lay very still, holding her in his arms and thinking. It amazed him how easily Moriah had made it through the worst of the transformation. It usually lasted much longer. Eventually, he decided that she would be a force with which to be reckoned. Nicolas had better beware. It was not long before his thoughts began to wane and he, too, closed his eyes.  
When Moriah woke a few hours later, she could not determine whether it was day or night. As she attempted to sit up and move around, she became very dizzy and had to lie down. Finally, she was able to sit up and lean back against the headboard. Discovering that LaCroix was still laying by her side, she reached over slowly and gently touched his shoulder. Suddenly, LaCroix sat up. His eyes were glowing, and his fangs were showing. A gasp escaped from Moriah as she scooted to the other side of the bed  
Moriah quickly said, "Lucien, it's just me. Everything's okay."  
The fangs slowly disappeared and LaCroix's eyes returned to normal. "I am sorry. That was exactly the sort of thing that I did not want you to see," he apologized, obviously a little embarrassed. "Usually, when someone wakes a vampire from a slumber, it is to put a stake in its heart. I am not used to having anyone wake me."  
"That's all right," she said, laughing.  
"You look much better than you did last night," he said, sitting up beside her. "You are doing better than Nicolas did at this point."  
"Please, don't compare me with Nick," she said. "We are cut out of totally different material."  
"That is obvious. It will not be long before I can take you home."  
Wondering what LaCroix meant by 'home,' Moriah pensively asked, "And My Love, where is home?"  
LaCroix picked up her hand and held it in his. "With me at THE RAVEN, if you wish it to be."  
Those were the words that Moriah wanted to hear. "I would really like that, if you don't mind," she said, smiling.  
"I would have it no other way," he said softly, kissing her hand. "Now that it is possible, I would like to have you with me."  
LaCroix laid her hand down on her jeans and that was when Moriah realized that she was still in the same clothes from the night before. "Yuck, I need to get out of these clothes."  
When Moriah started to move, LaCroix put his hand out and stopped her. "Do not move too fast," he advised. "You body is not what it used to be. It will take a little time to grow accustomed to its new form." He helped her sit up on the edge of the bed. "What do you wish to wear?"  
Moriah reached towards the end of the bed. "The night gown on the bed post will do," she said.  
LaCroix handed her the nightgown, then turned his back to her. "After you have the gown on, I will help you stand so that you can remove the rest of your clothes."  
Moriah laughed as she pulled off her shirt and slipped the gown over her head. "Why is your back turned?"  
"I do not know. I do many things that I do not understand when I am with you," he answered, shaking his head.  
Moriah dropped her jeans to the floor and let the gown fall to her ankles. "I am ready," she said softly. "You can turn around."  
LaCroix walked over and held her up, while she removed her jeans. After fluffing the pillows, he set Moriah back against the pillows.  
"Is it daylight?" she asked.  
"Yes," he said.  
"I have to call Johnny," she said.  
"Who is Johnny?" LaCroix asked, exhibiting a little concern.  
"Don't worry. Johnny's just my boss. Could you hand me the cordless phone on the dresser?"  
On the top of her dresser sat a cordless telephone in its base. LaCroix reached over and picked up the phone, and, after handing it to her poured another glass from the bottle and set it on the nightstand.  
LaCroix walked towards the door. "While you are making your call, I will clean up and change out of these clothes. You might want to drink the glass that I poured, if you start feeling weak while I am gone."  
"All right," she said, watching him walk out of the room.  
After he left the room, she looked at her hands, her feet, and the rest of the body. Unfortunately, she would not be able to see herself in the mirror anymore, so make-up and hair would have to be simple and done by touch only. The last few weeks, Moriah had been practicing putting her make-up on without a mirror. Although she never understood why she did it, now she was glad that she had. She crawled around on the bed a little and noticed that her body felt much lighter, otherwise she did not feel that much different. Settling back against the pillows, she punched the button to turn on the phone. The number for work was programmed in the speed dial, so all she did was push one button, then she heard the ring on the other end.  
"Hello," the voice on the other end said.  
"Linda, this is Moriah," she said softly. "Could I speak to Johnny?"  
"Where are you?" Linda asked. "Everyone is worried sick."  
"I really need to talk to Johnny," Moriah said firmly.  
"Okay," Linda said, obviously, miffed. "I will transfer you."  
Moriah heard the transfer ring, then she heard someone answer on the other end. "Johnny, it that you?" she asked.  
"Moriah," Johnny said. "Where the hell are you?"  
"Home," she answered. "There was an accident last night and I will not be in today."  
"Oh," he said curiously. "Are you OK? Is there anything we can do for you?" he asked, sounding concerned. "Will you be able to return to work soon?""  
"I doubt that I will be."  
"He got you, didn't he?" Johnny demanded.  
"Johnny, what are you talking about?"  
"My brother and his so-called gang. They attacked you last night, didn't they, and initiated you into their gang?"  
Moriah noticed that Johnny was choosing his words carefully. There must be other people around on his end of the phone. "Just a minute, Johnny," Moriah said as she hit the mute button, then she called, "Lucien, pick up the extension. You need to hear this."  
Moriah waited until she heard LaCroix pick up the extension in the living room before hitting the mute button again.  
"Johnny? Can you say that again?" Moriah requested.  
Johnny cleared his throat. "I said that my brother and his gang attacked you last night and brought you into his gang. Billy told me that he was going to do it, the first time that he saw you."  
"Could you describe your brother?" she asked. She listened closely as he described his brother, Billy. Moriah recognized the ugly vampire that had pulled her from the car.  
"Yes, Johnny, it was your brother's gang that attacked me and pulled me from my car," she confirmed.  
"You realize that there are others functioning as regular members of the community," he said. "I can always put you on the night shift."  
"Thank you, Johnny, but I think that I'm going home."  
"But you can't leave. You're one of them now, they won't let you leave."  
"I'm not one of them. I agreed that it was Billy's gang that attacked me, I didn't say that they were the ones that brought me over."  
"If you are not initiated, then why are you calling in?" he inquired.  
"I was definitely brought across, but not by them. I have a friend visiting from home. He stopped them from bringing me over, but to save me from becoming a permanent redneck, he had to do it."  
"Wait a minute," Johnny said surprised. "Are you telling me that you already are friends with those type of people."  
"Yes," Moriah answered. "Where I come from, they are quite plentiful, but they have a lot more class and are a lot nicer than your brother's gang."  
"I'm so glad to hear that. I don't mean that you were brought over, but that Billy or one of his gang didn't get the chance to do it," Johnny said. "I just couldn't picture you stuck with them for eternity. I wished that I'd known that you knew about those sorts of people, so that I could have warned you in the beginning. I stopped warning people years ago because they thought I had lost my mind whenever I mentioned it. I assume that you will be leaving when you are strong enough."  
"Yes. Can I ask why your brother is a vampire and you're not?"  
Johnny laughed. "He always wanted to be different from his big brother. This was his way of doing it. If he made me part of his gang, then I'd be just like him, and he would not be special anymore."  
"That's a drastic move to make, just to be different. Who's his master? No one in the gang appeared old enough."  
"We thought it was pretty drastic, too. As for his master, he was just passing through this area. Somehow, Billy tricked him into initiating him. The master was so disgusted with his progeny that he left and left us to Billy's stupidity," he said.  
"That sounds very irresponsible. At least my friends have more sense than that."  
"It's not too bad, really. Every now and then, he gets a wild hair up his ass and goes after someone like you." Johnny laughed. "It's nice that he finally met his match. There has never been another vampire through here to challenge him or his gang. Do you suppose that I can come and see you before you leave?"  
"Sure, if you really want to," she agreed.  
"I need to bring you your last paycheck, plus I just want to see you one last time. You tell that friend of yours to take good care of you. You are very special."  
"You've already told him," she said, smiling. "He's on the extension."  
"Oh," Johnny said. "What is his name?"  
"Lucien, Johnny," she said, introducing them. "Johnny, Lucien."  
Johnny cleared his throat. "I'm glad that you were there and were able to keep her from my brother. Take good care of her."  
"I will," LaCroix told him. "I realize just how special she is."  
"Moriah, I need to go," Johnny said. "I'll see you later."  
Moriah pushed the button on the cordless and laid it on the bed, then reached over for the shot glass that LaCroix had left on the nightstand and picked it up. Although she knew that she had to drink the contents of the glass to survive, Moriah still found it foul smelling and foul tasting. Shrugging her shoulder and holding her nose, she poured it down her throat and slammed the glass down on the nightstand. She shuddered and screwed her face up until the flavor subsided. Beginning to feel drained again, she slipped back under the covers and closed her eyes.  
A few hours later, Moriah woke up and stretched her body. "How long had she been in bed?" she thought. It felt like days, but she was sure that it was a little more than twenty-four hours. It did not really matter how long. Her back was hurting from being in bed so long. Moriah knew that she had to get out of bed and move around, no matter how weak she was. Sitting up was no problem and neither was putting her feet on the floor, but when she tried to stand up, she became dizzy and had to sit. After waiting a few minutes, she tried it again more slowly. This time she was able to remain standing, so she tried to walk. She took a few steps before she had to sit down again. Moriah stood up again once more, and this time she was able to slowly walk to the door, then into the hallway. By the time, she reached the bathroom door, she was almost walking normally again. It had been at least a day since she had washed or run a brush through her hair. LaCroix had darkened the bathroom for her; she also noticed that he had removed the mirror. Let the others talk about how horrible he was: She loved him and he, obviously, cared for her. After pulling a wash rag out of the cupboard, she started the shower running. She dropped her gown to the floor and stepped slowly into the shower, letting the warm water run all over her body. The water felt good flowing over her body and her head, so good in fact that she had to wash and get out before she fell asleep. There was a robe hanging on the door, so grabbed it and wrapped it around her. As she walked out of the room, she picked up her comb from the cabinet. Leaning against the living room door, she slowly ran the comb through her hair, undoing the tangles that had accumulated over the last twenty-four hours.  
LaCroix stepped out of his room and walked up behind her. "What are you doing up?" he scolded. "It is too soon."  
"I am all right," she said, turning to face him. "See." She walked up slowly and down the hallway a couple of times. "I was tired of the bed and wanted to come sit up for a while."  
"I suppose it is all right," he said. "You are adjusting faster than I thought."  
"You said yourself that I am special," she said, winking at him before walking into the living room and curling up on the couch.  
Moriah covered herself with an afghan and started running the comb through her hair. Watching her from the doorway, LaCroix shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the couch.  
"May I?" he asked, taking the comb from her hand.  
Moriah was surprised at his request, but she relinquished the comb. Placing the comb in her hair, LaCroix slowly and carefully pulled it through her hair until her hair was smooth and shiny.  
When LaCroix handed the comb back to her, Moriah covered his hand with her own and turned to face him. "Your hair is so beautiful," he said. "It is so soft and reminds me of the sun."  
Moriah set the comb on the coffee table and picked up the television remote. "I don't think my hair really does the sun justice, but I'm glad that you like it, since you are probably going to have to look at it for a very long time."  
Moriah punched the remote to turn on the TV and soon found a movie, then laid the remote on the table. LaCroix propped his legs up on the table and leaned back in the corner of the couch. Grabbing her afghan, Moriah moved over beside him. After making herself comfortable, she leaned against him. She laid her head on his chest, pulling the afghan up around her. At first LaCroix stiffened, then he looked down at her and thought how small and helpless she looked curled up beside him. They were both adjusting: she to life as a vampire, and he to her and her obvious affection for him. Finally giving in to the inevitable, he put his arm around her and pulled her close to him.  
Some hours later, Moriah was not sure how many, there was a knock on the door. She looked at the clock on the VCR to determine whether was day or night. The clock on the VCR showed 8:00 p.m. LaCroix's arm was still around her, so she looked at him to see if he heard the knock. Since his eyes were still closed, she carefully moved out from underneath his arm. Tying the sash around her robe tighter, she got up and walked to the door. She pulled back the shade on the door and it was dark outside, but she could see as plainly, as if it the sun were out, the enhanced vision was going to be rather convenient. Johnny was standing on the porch, so she opened the door to let him inside.  
When he started to talk to her, she placed her finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen. Following her into the kitchen, Johnny noticed that she looked no different than she had before and thought that she should have no trouble mixing in with humans. Once in the kitchen, Moriah turned on the light and stood a few feet away from Johnny.  
"Have a seat," she said quietly. "Would you like something to drink? I haven't cleaned out the refrigerator, so there are still sodas in it."  
Johnny sat down at the table. "No, thank you," he said. "I am not thirsty."  
As Moriah sat down at the table across from him, she realized that this was her first encounter with a human. She expected to have some sort of feeding urges or something, but she felt nothing.  
Johnny looked at her with concern in his eyes. "Am I the first person that you have seen since that night?" he asked.  
"Yes," she said, sitting back in the chair.  
"You were expecting to feel some overwhelming urge to bite me, weren't you?" he said, smiling.  
"I suppose I was, but I didn't," she said, cocking her head. "Aren't you afraid to be in a house with two vampires?  
"No, I'm not afraid of you or your friend. My brother's gang is much scarier than you or anyone that could be your friend," Johnny said, reaching for her hand. "As for the feeding, you won't want to bite every human you see as long as you stay fed and are not hungry. Don't worry about it.'  
"How do you know so much?" Moriah asked curiously, pulling her hand out of his.  
"I had to learn because of Billy," he said. "After all he is still my brother. We still talk a lot and help each other out."  
"Oh, I have so much to learn," she said, looking down at her hands. "Do I still look the same? I don't know, since I can't see myself anymore."  
"You look just fine," Johnny assured her. "You were very fair to begin with, so you really don't look that much different." He placed an envelope on the table and pushed it towards her. "Here's your last paycheck. I'm going to miss you. You're a good cop."  
"Thank you," she said, reaching for the envelope. "I'm ready to go home though."  
Moriah had a strange tingling sensation in her head. Touching her hand to her temple, she looked up and saw LaCroix standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. "Lucien, this is Johnny," she said.  
LaCroix walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I thought as much."  
Johnny looked at LaCroix, then at Moriah. "He's more than just a friend, isn't he? You can see it in his eyes and yours." Johnny paused while Moriah nodded her head. "Well, he's definitely a better alternative for you than Billy. Your mind would've stagnated with Billy. I love him, but he is a mindless idiot."  
"How is Billy?" LaCroix asked slyly.  
"He's doing okay, but you gave him a healthy new respect for others. He won't bother you anymore while you are here. As a matter of fact, I don't think that he will harass anyone for a while," Johnny said, laughing. He stood up and said, "I had better go now. I promised the kids some ice cream."  
"Thanks for everything, Johnny," Moriah said as LaCroix help her out of her chair.  
'You are very welcome," Johnny said. He extended his hand to LaCroix and said, "It has been a pleasure to meet you. Anyone that could shut Billy up for a while is fine in my books."  
Moriah watched amazed as LaCroix actually shook Johnny's hand. He did not like humans as a general rule. Except for her, he had always looked down on them. She walked Johnny to the door, and LaCroix stood in the kitchen door watching them. After Johnny left, she closed the door, locking it behind him.  
Moriah turned to LaCroix and said, "I thought that you did not like humans yet, you shook his hand."  
"Maybe I am becoming soft," he answered, crossing his arms across his chest and arching his eyebrow. "If there was one human out there like you, then it is possible that there may be others."  
Moriah walked over to the couch and laid the afghan across the arm. "I don't want you to think that you have to change for me," she said. "I have always liked you the way you are. I like your arrogance."  
"I know that," he said. "When I am around you, I want to do things differently."  
Moriah sat on the arm of the couch. "The tingling that I felt in my head, when you entered the room. Was that the vampire telepathy that I have heard about?"  
LaCroix sat on the coffee table facing Moriah. "Yes, it develops at different levels for different individuals. You will always be able to find me using it and I, you. Depending on how strong you are, you might even be able to contact me if you are in trouble. As fast as you are developing, I think that may be a very good possibility."  
"Johnny said something about as long as I stay fed, I will not be tempted to bite a human. Is that true?" she asked.  
"Do not worry about it," he said, smiling. "It is true. Humans will be safe around you unless are hungry or they have made you angry, but I do not think that you will have much trouble with anger. You are too good- natured, except when it comes to Nicolas."  
Standing up and walking over to the window, Moriah said. "Speaking of Nick, in a sense, he is my brother now, isn't he?"  
"Yes, in a manner of speaking, you are both my children."  
Moriah pulled the curtain, then the shade and looked outside. "How do you think that he will react to this?" she asked.  
"I do not think that he will be pleased," he answered. "I think that it would be better if we stayed here until you have mastered the basics, then I will take you home. There are those who might try to use you to hurt me, so I think it best that you be able to take care of yourself before we go back."  
"They never bothered me before," she said questioningly.  
"Before you were human and of no consequence. Now you are one of them and are far more dangerous to them."  
"I like the sound of that," she said.  
"You are more like me than I thought," he said, raising his eyebrow. "You are drawn to the power and control aspects of it, too."  
"Yes, to a certain extent. I have always had a problem when something is out of my control."  
LaCroix gave her a sly grin. "So do I."  
The next few weeks were full of lessons and practice. It amazed LaCroix how fast Moriah learned everything that he offered her. Once she mastered something, she asked for more to learn. None of his other fledglings had ever been this eager. He never had one that embraced the situation with such enthusiasm. She took her lessons seriously and learned everything that he tried to teach her.  
One evening Moriah went out on her own, flying to the barn where LaCroix had brought her over. This trip had a specific purpose. She was looking for something that she had lost that night. The object of her search was very small and shiny. As she walked over to the area of the barn where they had been, she looked down into the hay for any glint of metal. The enhanced eyesight that she had acquired would help her find the object for which she was looking. The moonlight glinted off of several objects, but both times they were false alarms. As she was about to give up, she saw something reflecting out of the corner of her eye. Reaching down in the hay, she carefully touched the object. The chain felt rough in her fingers. She turned her head away and pulled it out from under the hay. When she felt the heaviness on the chain swinging back and forth, she slowly turned her head. She stared at the charm on the chain and it did not bother her eyes. Reaching out with her other hand, she touched it with one finger and it did not burn her or make her feel uncomfortable. The cross might be of use someday, so she dropped it and its chain in her pocket and headed back to the house.  
  
CHAPTER 7  
  
One day about two months after Moriah had been brought over, she and LaCroix were sitting in the living room talking. Moriah was curled up on one end of the couch and LaCroix was sitting on the other end.  
"I think that it is time that we go home," he said. "You have mastered all the basics and some. I have never had such an enthusiastic or adept student."  
"Why thank you, master," Moriah teased, smiling.  
LaCroix shook his head and said, "Do not call me that. I do not like it when you call me that. I do not want to be your master, ever. I have never controlled you nor do I ever want to control you. I realize now that is how I drive my fledglings away from me."  
Moriah's expression softened. "Am I just a fledgling?" she asked softly.  
LaCroix had become very sensitive to the changes in Moriah's emotions. "No, you are more than a mere fledgling," he admitted. "I call you my child and fledgling, because I do not know what else to call you. Before all of this happened, I told you that I loved you and I still do, but it is different now."  
"How?" she asked  
"Before it was a vampire in love with a human, and now it is a vampire in love with another vampire. The whole situation is different now."  
"I don't understand. How?" Moriah asked, moving across the couch and sitting on the edge of the couch facing him. "I have already been brought over."  
Moriah sat up on her knees and put her lips on his. When she kissed him, LaCroix kissed her back without hesitation. She moved closer to him and he tightened his arms around her. Suddenly, he pushed her away and shouted, "NO!"  
Moriah slipped off the couch and fell on the floor, landing on her bottom. Her face was full of shock and hurt at being shoved so violently. "I am sorry," she said quietly, touching her lips. She picked herself up from the floor and ran to her room.  
Moriah closed the door and curled up on her bed, pulling an afghan over her. What had she done that was so wrong? Although she realized that they were both making adjustments, she did not understand LaCroix's reaction. Sure, there were feelings and emotions that he had not felt or dealt with in hundreds of years and they were now flooding into his being, causing much confusion on his part, but that did not explain his reaction. One of the drawbacks to being a vampire, she discovered, was that she was a prisoner of where she happened to be during the day. Her bedroom was the only place she had to go right now. Once she had asked him if she could go out during the day if her skin and eyes were fully covered. LaCroix told her that he had heard of some vampires who had done that, but he personally had not nor had he known anyone who had. One day in the future, when she was either brave or foolhardy, she thought that she might try it. She started feeling tired, so she closed her eyes and fell into a slumber.  
When she woke, she found LaCroix sitting on the edge of her bed, watching her. "What do you want?" she asked, sitting up.  
"I wanted to explain my outburst," he said, pushing her hair back out of her face.  
"You don't have to," she said. "You never explain yourself to anyone else."  
LaCroix put his hands on her shoulders. "I do not care about anyone else," he said, raising his eyebrow. "Just you. You looked so hurt that I feel I owe some sort of explanation."  
"All right," she said. "I'm listening."  
LaCroix touched her cheek and looked into her eyes. "Try to understand that human lovers make love much differently than vampire lovers. In the human world, it is soft, tender, and, well, human. In the vampire world, it is a primal instinct. Vampires were created to be, basically, animals. The act of bringing someone over also doubles as the sexual act between two vampires. Remember all the feelings that you felt the night that I brought you over, just before you fainted?" he asked. Moriah nodded her head and he continued, "That is sex between vampires and those feelings must culminate in a bite. As much as I desire you, I just cannot expose you to it, not yet anyway. You do not want to use your fangs, and if I had let it go any further, you would have had to do so. You may be a vampire now, but to me you are still so innocent."  
Taking what LaCroix had just told her and thinking about it for a few minutes, Moriah decided that she had to agree. "You're right. I don't think that I am ready." She thought for a moment longer, then asked, "Do I even have fangs? I've never seen them or felt them."  
"Yes, you have them," he assured her, then he smiled at her. "You have not had any reason to use them yet. You are well fed and you have not had any reason to become angry."  
Moriah studied his face for a moment, noticing that it looked different from when she had first met him. Somehow, his face was softer, but it also showed some signs of stress. "Poor baby," she said, forcing him to lie back on the bed. She rubbed his head, then said, "You are going through as much or more than I am, aren't you? I have totally disrupted your life. For so many years you have been this imposing, dreaded force with which to be reckoned. Now, I come along and cause you to experience and do things that you would have never dreamed of doing. I realize that you could have gotten rid of me a long time ago, so obviously, you were ready for something different."  
Smiling up at her, LaCroix commented. "I have never been anyone's 'poor baby'. I think that I like it." Closing his eyes as she rubbed his head, he added, "You are right. I never had to allow you to invade my little world, but I did and I am glad."  
Moriah sat quietly, rubbing his head until she detected no movement from him, then she laid down beside him with her head on his chest and pulled the afghan up over both of them. The silence in the room and the fact that she was not tired stimulated her thought process. Everyone would assume that he was taking care of her because he was stronger and the master, but in reality, they would be taking care of each other, if he would allow it and she thought he would. LaCroix and Johnny asked her why she appeared so happy. It was because she was. At least she was with someone who loved her and did not want to control her. She possessed talents and powers now that she had only dreamed of before. If she had been brought over by the redneck vampires, she would have hated it, but she would have made the best of it. There was no reason to make yourself miserable about something over which you had no control. When LaCroix moved and put both his arms around her, she stopped thinking and closed her eyes.  
LaCroix decided that they would drive back to Toronto so that, Moriah would be able to keep her car. They packed the things that Moriah was taking with her in the car and crated everything else for shipment. Moriah had night deposited the check that Johnny had brought her and, using her ATM card, had cleaned out her account over the last few days so that they would have cash to take with them. Leaving just after the sun set, they drove until just before dawn, then found a hotel to stay in during the day. Carrying an overnight bag and a change of clothes, they walked into the lobby to check in with the desk clerk. While LaCroix registered with the desk clerk, Moriah stood behind him, looking around the lobby. From the outside, the hotel had looked run-down and seedy, but inside, it was quite elegant and old worldly.  
LaCroix walked away from the front desk with the key and Moriah was surprised to hear the desk clerk say, "Mr. LaCroix, I will make sure that no one disturbs you and your wife until this evening."  
When Moriah glanced up at him, he smiled down at her and said, "It seemed like the least complicated thing to do at the time."  
"I'm not complaining," she said, taking his arm. "Actually, I don't mind at all. We've been together longer than most married couples."  
They walked down a long hallway to the room that they had been assigned. Unlocking the door, LaCroix held the door open for Moriah. Before Moriah let him close the door, she reached behind her and hung the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outside of the door. Moriah dropped the clothes on the bed and looked around the room. The amenities were a television set with cable, a king size bed, and a small refrigerator.  
Taking the overnight bag from LaCroix, she unzipped it and removed a bottle. "This hotel is a lot nicer on the inside than it is on the out." Walking over to the refrigerator, she said, "Thank goodness that there is a fridge. I can't drink this stuff warm."  
As Moriah put the bottle in the freezer compartment, LaCroix hung up their clothes. He remarked, "You really cannot stand to drink blood, can you?"  
"Not really, it tastes so horrible, just like a medicine that my mother forced down me when I was little. But if drinking blood is the worst of my worries, than I really have nothing to worry about. At least I will never be a pig and drink more than my share or more than I need."  
LaCroix set the overnight bag on the dresser and stretched out on the bed. "You adjust too easy. I want to hear you complain about something."  
Moriah sat down beside him and thought for a moment. "Okay, Mr. LaCroix, this is your wife speaking. I hate all this driving. I want it to hurry up and end. I want to get home. How's that?"  
"I suppose that will have to do, but it really does not qualify as a real complaint."  
"I could start in on Nick?"  
"Never mind," he said, reaching up and laying her down next to him.  
Moriah was tired after the night's driving and curling up in his arms, she closed her eyes. LaCroix tightened his arms around her and marveled at the difference that she had made in his existence. Sleepily, Moriah stretched up and kissed his cheek, then she laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he laid his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes.  
When she woke later, Moriah was hungry. Carefully crawling off the bed, she walked over to the refrigerator and pulled the bottle out of the freezer compartment. The bottle was icy cold and had just started to crystallize on the outer edges. After staring at the bottle for a few minutes, she took the cap off and poured a little of its contents into one of the hotel glasses. Picking up the glass, she walked over to the sink and drank it down, then washed the glass thoroughly.  
Moriah walked over to the dresser and pulled her gown and robe out of the overnight bag, then walked into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerged with her hair in a towel and wearing her gown and robe. Not wanting to disturb LaCroix, she turned the television on, but kept the sound low. She curled up on the couch and watched television while she dried her hair. Daytime television was not something that Moriah usually watched and now she knew why. Her only choices on regular television were game shows and TV magazines. She was glad that the hotel had cable movies. Flipping through the channels, she found a decent movie, then settled back on the couch to watch it and dry her hair. It was not long before she began to nod off to sleep, missing the last half of the movie.  
Sometime later LaCroix woke up and, noticing that Moriah was not in bed, found her on the couch. He pulled back the covers on the bed, then carried her over and gently laid her down, pulling the covers back over her. Going to the closet, he pulled out his robe and pajamas, then went into the bathroom to wash and change. When he walked out of the bathroom, it occurred to him that he had not turned off the television. Walking over to the couch, he pushed the off button on the remote, then walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. Every time he watched Moriah sleep, a peace came over him and he forgot about all of the things that he had done in the past; he hoped that he never gave her any cause to regret her decision to stay with him. He also hoped that when they arrived home, she and Nick could come to some sort of understanding. They were both a part of him and he did not want to see her go through anymore abuse at Nick's hands, but he did not want to totally lose Nick either. Suddenly, he was aware of his thoughts and realized that he had never really admitted to anyone, not even himself, how much Nick meant to him. Nick caused him a lot of trouble just as he caused Nick trouble, but LaCroix would miss him if he were gone.  
Moriah opened her eyes and smiled. "You are thinking too much again. Nick and I will be fine," she said, then she closed her eyes.  
LaCroix stared at her. "Had she heard him thinking?" he thought. Leaning over he gently touched her shoulder. "Moriah, Moriah, wake up," he whispered.  
Moriah moaned and rolled over. "Huh? What? What's wrong?" she asked drowsily.  
"Nothing is wrong. You said something a few minutes ago that I wanted to ask you about."  
She propped herself up on her elbow. "What?"  
The expression on his face was a very serious one. "You said, 'You are thinking too much again. Nick and I will be fine.' Did you hear what I was thinking?" LaCroix asked.  
Looking at him curiously, she asked, "What are you talking about? I have been asleep."  
"Are you sure? I was thinking about you and Nicolas when you looked at me and made that statement."  
Moriah thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, I did have a dream. In the dream you were saying that you wanted Nick and I to get along. Could that be it?"  
"That is exactly what I was thinking," LaCroix said. "Have you ever had any telepathic episodes before as a human?"  
"Not that I am aware of. A few feelings of deja' vu occasionally, but that's all. Honest."  
"I am not doubting you, it just seemed very strange, that is all."  
Moriah put her hand on his arm. "Stop thinking and lie down," she said. Pulling back the covers, he laid beside her, turning on his side to face her. "That's better," she said, moving closer to him, towards the head of the bed. Moriah put her hand on his forehead and slowly rubbed her hand back and forth. "Now, turn off the brain and rest. We have another twelve hours on the road ahead of us."  
As Moriah rubbed his head, he closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. Just before he fell asleep, LaCroix wrapped his arms around her, so Moriah slid down beside him, laying her head on his chest. Moriah reached down and pulled the covers up around them and they both fell a sleep. A little later, Moriah woke with a start, but had no idea why. Looking around the room, she saw nothing out of place and she felt no tingling. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it would be three more hours until the sun went down. Shrugging off the feeling that woke her, Moriah snuggled close to LaCroix and closed her eyes. LaCroix, without waking up, tightened his arms around her and she fell back to sleep.  
They woke about thirty minutes before it was time to leave. Sitting up, Moriah looked down at LaCroix.  
"Hello," LaCroix said, smiling up at her.  
"Hi," she said shyly.  
"Are you ready to go home?" he asked, sitting up.  
"We would be home tonight, if we were flying, wouldn't we?"  
"Yes, but I thought that you would want to keep your car," he explained.  
Moriah touched his cheek. "I do, but I am ready to get home and work out this problem with Nick. As much as his attitude bugs me, he really is a nice guy underneath. I just don't understand why he gets so mad at me."  
"I do not think that he does either," LaCroix commented, kissing the hand that she had placed on his cheek.  
They changed clothes and put everything back in the overnight bag. Before Moriah packed away the bottle, she offered it to LaCroix, who refused. When it was dark, Moriah went to the front desk and checked out, while LaCroix carried their things to the car.  
"Well, Mrs. LaCroix," the desk clerk said, smiling. "Did you enjoy your stay? I hope that everything was to your liking."  
Moriah hesitated for a moment before answering. "Everything was fine. It was a lovely room."  
Moriah paid the bill, then walked out to the car. They climbed into the car and pulled onto the road towards home. When they stopped at the next hotel, they were only three hours from Toronto. If they had not had to stop because of the daylight, they would have been home about eight o'clock in the morning. The hotel that they found this time was not as nice as the one where they had stayed the day before, but it was clean.  
  
CHAPTER 8  
  
It had taken them a little over two nights to reach THE RAVEN. It was around ten o'clock when LaCroix drove the car into an alley behind the club. Climbing out of the car, he unlocked and opened a garage door, then he pulled the car inside.  
As LaCroix was closing the garage door, he said, "I have never used the garage before. I have never had a car. I never thought I needed one."  
"It is good to be home," Moriah said, climbing out of the car and stretching.  
"Come," he said. "I will show you the rooms. Up until now, I have only used one of them. You can do what you wish with them once your furniture arrives."  
LaCroix took her up a back staircase to the second floor. The whole second floor above THE RAVEN was an apartment. All the windows had already been blackened, so the apartment was ready for use. There was a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and three bedrooms. There was a big fireplace surrounded by shelves in the living room. Although LaCroix had been using one of the bedrooms, all the other rooms were totally devoid of furniture.  
Moriah spun around in a circle in the living room. "You don't care what I do with them?"  
LaCroix watched her spinning around the room. "No," he said, leaning on the bar between the living room and the kitchen. "They are yours to do with as you wish. I can already see that life is going to be very different around here. There is no way that dark and gloom can exist alongside you. You are already lighting up this empty room."  
Dancing over to the bar, she reached up and touched his nose. "Well, you will always have your gloomy old room to retreat to," she teased, smiling sweetly. "You are giving up an awful lot for me."  
"I do not think of it that way," he said. "I think of what you are giving to me."  
Since Moriah had no response for his last statement, she said, "I think that I will go get my things and bring them up. It is probably best for me to stay out of the club for a while."  
"It does not matter," he said, standing up straight. "That was why I waited to bring you back. There are still other things to learn, but those will come as you need them. For now, you can take care of yourself and I will be there, if you need me."  
Moriah jumped up and sat on the bar. "Did you ever decide what I am?"  
LaCroix arched his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"  
"Well, in one of our discussions, you said that I wasn't your fledgling or your child. You weren't sure what I was."  
LaCroix looked thoughtful for a moment. "You are more than a girlfriend, but technically we are not lovers. Maybe, you are just My Moriah, My Little One."  
Moriah shook her head and laughed. "I can live with that, and you are My Love. Are you going to broadcast tonight?"  
"Yes, I think I will. Let them know that I am back in town," he said, raising his eyebrow and smiling mischievously.  
"That ought to put terror into a few hearts," Moriah teased. Moriah reached up and hugged him. LaCroix froze at first, then slowly hugged her back. "Not quite accustomed to hugs yet, are you?"  
LaCroix looked down at her and she could see a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. "No, but do not stop on my account."  
Moriah leapt off the bar, laughing. "Believe me, I won't."  
"It is nice to have you around. Can I try a hug on my own?" he said, reaching down and hugging her.  
"That is quite good for a beginner," she said, laughing again.  
"I will help you bring your bags up," he offered. "Then I will start up CERK again."  
"All right," she said as they walked to the door. "I may come down later, if that is all right?"  
"It is your home now, too," he said. "You are free to do as you wish."  
Moriah and LaCroix walked down to the car and brought all of her bags and boxes upstairs. She had him set them on the floor, then sent him downstairs to his broadcast. The two remaining bedrooms that she had to choose from were both at the back of the apartment. Although neither one was sunny for obvious reasons, she chose the one that she thought had the sunniest disposition. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and the mirrors had been removed a long time ago, so she was not reminded of the lack of a reflection. Until the furniture came, there was not much to unpack, just three boxes. Two of the boxes contained her clothes and the other contained a couple of pillows, a set of sheets, and a couple of afghans that would have to do until her bed arrived. These boxes she carried to the bedroom, and the rest she shoved under the bar until later. It took all of fifteen minutes to unpack the clothes that needed to be hung in the closet and to spread the other out as a make shift bed. She ran a brush through her hair and freshened her make-up just in case it needed it, then grabbed a book and went downstairs.  
Slipping into the club through the back way, Moriah drew a lot of stares as she walked to the broadcast booth. When she walked past the bar, the bartender smiled and commented on how nice it was to have her back, then his eyes grew rather large. She nodded her head and walked on towards the CERK booth. She passed a few more of the regulars who had known her before and they all stared at her wide-eyed, too. When she reached the booth, LaCroix was ten minutes into his broadcast. After he looked over at her and smiled, she curled up in a corner of the booth with her book. A couple of times during certain parts of his monologue, he reached over and stroked her cheek.  
The furniture and crates arrived the next evening according to plan. Strict instructions and a large tip had been left to insure that everthing was delivered after dark, the day after they arrived. The men carried everything upstairs and at Moriah's instructions left it all in the living room. After everything had been carried in and the men had left, LaCroix came upstairs and looked at the mess in the living room.  
"This ought to keep you busy for about an hour," he said, standing in the doorway.  
"An hour?" she said, looking at him sideways. "I'd say at least two."  
"You have too much energy," he said, shaking his head. "I am going downstairs. I will become exhausted just watching you."  
After LaCroix left the room, Moriah started moving. Having the extra strength was nice for moving the crates and furniture around alone. Unrolling the rugs, she placed them in the bedrooms on top of the wood floors that she had cleaned the morning before. She carried and pushed the bedroom furniture into the bedrooms and moved it around until she was satisfied. Now, that she had a place to put her clothes, she unpacked the rest of her clothes and put them away. There was also a box of knickknacks that she unpacked and placed around both rooms. Moriah made the beds, then located and hung the blinds and curtains. Although they kept separate bedrooms, most of the time Moriah and LaCroix slept in the same bed. She liked being near him, and she guessed that he did, too, because he never complained. When she was satisfied with the bedrooms, she turned to the living room. Everything in the living room was pushed into the dining room while she laid the rug in the living room. Using the fireplace as a focal point, she placed the couch, chairs, and tables around it. There were another four boxes with books and knickknacks that she pulled out from under the bar. These she placed on the shelves that surrounded the fireplace. Now that the dining room was empty, she placed the table and chairs in it, as if there would be an occasion to use them. The last thing she did was to hang the blinds and curtains. Wanting to be sure that she had placed the television and stereo in the right spots, she turned them on to check the reception and they were both. She tuned in CERK on the stereo and flopped on the couch to rest. Everything looked nice and cozy and she was proud of herself. After a few minutes, she had to get up. She hated having clutter around her, so she broke the crates apart into boards. Then, she carried the wood downstairs and placed it in the dumpster behind the club. When she walked back into the apartment, she could hear LaCroix's voice still coming over the stereo.  
Moriah picked up her book and went downstairs to the club. This time when she walked through the back of the club, the bartender handed her a small glass and several of the regulars stopped and talked to her. She finally made it to the broadcast booth. LaCroix looked at his watch and held up two fingers, meaning that it had taken her two hours to unpack. After laughing at him, she curled up in the corner of the booth to finish the book that she started the evening before. Towards the end of the broadcast, Moriah's head started tingling with a new tingle that she did not recognize. When she looked up, Moriah saw Nick walking in their direction. She stood up to leave, but LaCroix put his hand out stopping her. Moriah sat back in her corner.  
Nick walked over to the booth and apparently, had not noticed Moriah sitting in the corner. With all the other vampires around, he had not detected her presence. "LaCroix, I heard you were back in town."  
"Yes, Nicolas, I am," LaCroix answered. Looking in Moriah's direction, he said, "And I brought someone with me."  
Nick looked in the direction that LaCroix had indicated and saw Moriah sitting in the shadows. Staring at her for a moment, the truth suddenly hit him. He pounded his fist on the table. "NO!" he yelled.  
The force with which he hit the table caused Moriah to jump. "Nick stop it," she shouted.  
Nick reached across the table to grab LaCroix, but Moriah flew from her place in the booth, her eyes glowing, and put herself between them. "I said, 'Stop it'," she demanded shoving him hard.  
Nick flew backwards, landing a few feet away. Stunned, he looked up at her, while she looked down at him. "I told you to stop it," she said, shaking her head. Covering the microphone with his hand, LaCroix asked Moriah to take Nick upstairs. "Sure," she said, reaching down and pulling Nick to his feet.  
Moriah took hold of his hand and dragged Nick through the bar. When they reached the staircase, she had to push him up the stairs. He, obviously, wanted her to do all the work, so when they reached the top of the stairs, she opened the door and shoved him inside. For a few minutes, he wandered around the room, looking at her things.  
Nick turned towards Moriah, who was closing the door. "What did you do? Move in?"  
"Yes, that about covers it," she said, crossing her arms. "Now, sit down, shut up, and listen to me."  
Nick stared at her, Then, to her surprise, he sat down and kept his mouth shut.  
Moriah paced back and forth in front of him. "Nick, it had to be done. There was no choice," she said. Then she related the events which led to her being brought across. "So you see, it was them or him. Which would you have chosen for me?" she asked him at the end of her story.  
"Are you telling me that he did not want to do it and that once he decided to do it, he still couldn't?" Nick said curiously.  
"Yes, I had to help him," she explained.  
"How do you 'help him'?"  
"Excuse me," she said, laughing. "Who is the fledgling here? How do you think?"  
Nick thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "Oh!" He stood up and walked over to the fireplace and leaned on the mantel. "You don't seem too upset by all of this."  
"Why should I be?" Moriah asked, tossing her head. "I'm not like you. I make the best of any situation that I'm in, and I see a lot of advantages to this one. I see a lot of opportunity to help a lot of people."  
Nick reached over and stopped her from pacing, then looked into her eyes. "But now you are damned for eternity."  
Moriah pulled away from him. "No, I'm not. I've not harmed any humans, and I honestly believe that as long as I don't, I will be fine."  
Nick shook his head. "It doesn't work that way."  
"You would say that. With you it is always going to be something. If you ever achieve your dream of being human again, then you will probably bitch about losing your immortality." Moriah turned and walked towards the hallway telling Nick she would be back soon. She returned less than a minute later, carrying her jewelry box. She opened it and reached inside. Before she pulled her hand out, she said, "Shield your eyes."  
Waiting until Nick's eyes were closed, Moriah pulled the chain out of the box and held it up in front of her. "Now, look slowly, if you can," she instructed.  
Nick opened his eyes slowly and stared at the tiny cross on the chain. "Remember this," Moriah said. "I wore it before the transformation and I can still wear it." She dropped the cross back in the jewelry box.  
Nick watched her put the cross back in the jewelry box. To him, she appeared to be the same as she was before, just a little paler. "Are you thinking of coming back to work?" he asked. "You're a good cop."  
"I have thought about asking the captain if he could get me on the night shift across town."  
"Why not at your old precinct?" he asked.  
"I don't think so, brother dear," she said. "I can't see myself working with you after what you have put me through. If you had left us alone, I would probably still be human today. Not that I am complaining, mind you."  
"Why did you call me 'brother'?" Nick asked curiously.  
"Well, whether I like it or not, we are part of a family and have a certain connection," she said, pacing again.  
Nick looked a little hurt. "Why wouldn't you like it?" he asked.  
"Let me ask you a question," Moriah said. "I've worked with you several times on the night shift. I wouldn't even call us good friends, so why the hell does it bother you so much what I do? I put up with a lot of shit from you, when you had no right to express an opinion at all." As she spoke, she became angrier and angrier and a glow came to her eyes.  
Nick watched the anger well up inside her, and then he remembered the shove that Moriah gave him downstairs. She was obviously quite strong for someone just brought across, and he was not sure whether he wanted to take a chance on making her really angry. Just as Nick was about to answer, a tingle went through both of them and they turned towards the door.  
"Well, answer her question, Nicolas," LaCroix said, walking into the room and over to Moriah. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he kissed the top of her head.  
"Well, I'm still waiting," Moriah said, letting go of LaCroix and putting her hands on her hips. "What gave you the right to do what you did to me?"  
After staring at Moriah and LaCroix for another few minutes, Nick said, "I had no right. I suppose it was not you personally. It was the idea that a human was in such close proximity to LaCroix. You really think that I caused all of this?"  
Moriah stepped away from LaCroix and towards Nick. "Well, you definitely deserve part of the blame," she said. "If you would have left me alone, I would have stayed in town and not have been subjected to redneck hell. Lucien had no intention of bringing me over. Just ask him."  
Nick looked over at LaCroix and asked, "Is that true?"  
"Look at her, Nicolas," LaCroix said, walking over to her and turning her around. "You saw how she shoved you earlier. If I had wanted another fledgling, I would not have chosen her. She is too strong. Her personality and life force are too strong. I was forced into it. It was either kill her, bring her across, or let those idiots have her."  
"She told me that you couldn't do it without her help," Nick asked, putting his foot on the hearth.  
"Yes, Nicolas. I could not do it. The evil one, who has destroyed so much human life, could not bring a human over or kill her. Does that make you happy?" LaCroix said sarcastically.  
"I apologize, if it means anything," Nick said, looking at Moriah. "I was wrong - so very wrong. I saw the way he looked at you downstairs and up here a few moments ago. The way he's looking at you now. It's been...a long time, since I saw LaCroix have that much affection for anyone. You're obviously having a positive effect on him."  
Moriah wanted to hit him again, but refrained. "That is what I have been trying to tell you, you big idiot," she exclaimed. "You wouldn't listen to anyone, not even Natalie."  
Nick bent his head and looked at the floor. "If you want to come back to work on the night shift, I promise that I'll behave," he offered.  
"I'll think about," Moriah said.  
"I think that it sounds like a good idea," LaCroix said. "You will go crazy locked up here."  
Nick stared at LaCroix, he was actually thinking of her welfare. "I suppose that I'm going to be in for a lot of surprises from now on," Nick said to Moriah.  
"I wouldn't be shocked at anything that may happen from now on," she advised. "Come on. I'll walk you downstairs."  
"I will come with you," LaCroix said, walking over to Moriah. "There is still quite a bit of the night left and there is something that I want to show you."  
"Sure," she said taking his arm. "We've not been outside this building since we came back."  
Nick watched Moriah and LaCroix together, then he shook his head. The emotions that he saw in LaCroix's face were something that he had never seen before and did not think were possible. Obviously, there was definitely something special about Moriah, if she was able to effect such a change in LaCroix. Nick never thought that the man was capable of caring for anyone, but he definitely cared very deeply for Moriah. Nick allowed himself to be led downstairs and to the front door.  
Once outside on the sidewalk, Nick offered LaCroix his hand. "I suppose that I owe you a small apology, too. I realize that not only did I make Moriah miserable, but in the process you also suffered. Over the years, I have always wanted to make you suffer the way that you have made me suffer, but I never intended to deliberately set out to do so. I just wanted to keep Moriah away from you."  
LaCroix took hold of his hand. "Nicolas, we have been through a lot together, most of it bad in your eyes. Though I do not promise to change my attitude and actions towards you, I do appreciate you giving Moriah a chance. She does not deserve to be treated the way that you have treated her."  
"I know that and I will try to give her the respect that she deserves. I think that I will leave you now."  
Moriah reached up and put a kiss on Nick's cheek. "Thanks, Nick," she said.  
Nick looked at her and could not understand why he had been so mean to her. It was as if something in him had snapped, when he heard about her and LaCroix. "Bye," he said, shooting up into the air.  
After Nick flew away, LaCroix turned to Moriah and took her hand in his. "You have not seen the city from the unique new vantage point that your powers allow you."  
LaCroix kissed her hand and led her up into the air. As Moriah followed him, she looked down at the city and the city lights that passed below them. It all looked so beautiful from up in the sky. Moriah had stars twinkling above her and below her. Ahead of them, Moriah saw the tallest building in town. It was there that LaCroix took her. After landing on the building, Moriah walked to the edge and looked over.  
"Would you believe that I used to be afraid of heights?" she asked, looking back at LaCroix.  
There was a soft smile on LaCroix's face. "No, I would not," he said softly.  
Moriah sat on the edge of the building and dangled her feet over the edge. "It is beautiful from up here," she said her eyes shining. "It is hard to believe that there is so much ugliness under the sparkling lights."  
LaCroix sat down beside Moriah and put his arm slowly around her shoulders. Still staring at the twinkling lights below, she leaned against him. As he watched her being enchanted by the dancing lights, LaCroix thought about how innocent she still was. He doubted that she would ever lose much of that innocence and that was fine with him. It was one of the things that had drawn him to her. After watching her for what seemed like an hour, but was actually only a couple of minutes, he finally gave in to the urge to lean over and kiss her. It was a short soft kiss, but the fact that he kissed her at all shocked Moriah. As far as she knew, he still was not ready to make her his lover. She put her fingers softly against his lips, then caressed his cheek.  
Moriah leaned against him and played with his hand. "Do you mind what I did with your rooms?"  
"I told you the rooms were yours do with as you saw fit," he said softly. "I think that you did fine. Now the apartment looks like you: nice, bright, and cozy."  
She laughed. "I've never been described that way, but I like it."  
"I want you to seriously think about going back to work," he said. "I do not want to lose you because you become bored and restless."  
"I will," she said, looking up at him. "If you will consider something for me."  
LaCroix raised his eyebrow. "What?"  
"When you think that I am ready, I want to travel. I want to see those places that you have told me about. I've never been to Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia. I have never left North America."  
LaCroix had a surprised, but very pleased look on his face. "You would really want to travel and wander around all those places with me?" he questioned her with a very serious tone in his voice.  
"Of course, I would," Moriah said, giving him one of her biggest smiles. "I've always wanted to see them, but as a human I could not afford it. Even if I could have afforded it, it would have been no fun to go alone. It's much better to have someone to show you around and share the sights."  
"I cannot believe this," he said, staring at her. "Someone actually wants to wander the continents with me."  
"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked softly.  
LaCroix looked a little worried, but said, "Of course."  
"Well, besides the fact that I can still wear the cross I was wearing before you brought me across," she said, pausing momentarily to see if there was a reaction, "I continually realize that I am more like you than they think. We have already discussed the control angle. I also like the feeling of power that these special powers give me. You used them to destroy, but I want to use them to build, to protect. You know, become a sort of super hero. I like the idea of changing the course of history."  
LaCroix had been listening very closely to what she was saying and now he stared at her intently. "I cannot believe that you are saying these things," he said. "Except for the super hero part, these are the things that I have been waiting to hear for years."  
Now it was Moriah's turn to be serious. "Can you accept the building of things instead of the destruction of things?"  
"They are both control, power, and manipulation," he said. "I think so. Obviously, you have thought this through. Tell me some more."  
Moriah looked up at the sky. "Can we go home, first?" she asked. "I don't want to cut the time too close."  
"Anything that you want," LaCroix said, standing up and helping her to her feet.  
The flight home was faster than the one out to see the lights, since Moriah was not sightseeing. Landing in the alley, they entered THE RAVEN from the rear. It was almost closing time, so they walked quickly through the club to put things away and lock up. The bartender had already taken care of everything, except turning the key in the lock. LaCroix let the bartender out of the door, then turned the key and dropped it in his pocket. When he walked back through the club, he found Moriah sitting on the bar.  
"Come. Shall we go upstairs?" LaCroix asked, picking her up and carrying her up the stairs.  
When they reached the top of the stairs, Moriah reached out and pushed the door open. LaCroix carried her in, then turned around so that she could close the door. Walking over to the couch, he gently set her down and sat down beside her. He rested his elbow on the back of the couch and rested his head in his hand.  
"Now, tell me about your plan," he said with interest.  
Moriah turned sideways and pulled her legs up underneath her. "I can't believe that you are really interested," she said, smiling. "Let me see if I can get everything in. You keep THE RAVEN as a home base. We travel for a while, then come home for a while. I'm sure that one can become just as tired of wandering as staying put in one place. If we see a situation arising that tickles our fancy, then we go check it out. I think that since our first few trips would be trips of discovery and initiation for me, they should be short, only a few months apiece. I'd like to stay here a while longer and practice more of what I've learned. When you think that I'm ready, we can go. Oh, I have one question. In a city as big as this one, New York, Los Angeles, etc., do people notice the aging thing and do identities have to be changed often?"  
"It varies," he said, leaning towards her. "In the past, hundreds of years ago, there were many wanderers and towns were so spread apart and record keeping so bad that no one noticed. One could roam for several hundred years and no one knew the difference. There was a period, when it was hard, because the record keeping became better and people were more settled. Everyone knew their neighbors, so strangers were suspect. Now, it is back to bad record keeping or rather, false record keeping and many wanderers again. Also, the use of computers is so widespread now and it is so easy to manipulate computer records, when someone has the know-how. Why?"  
"I was just wondering how soon we would have to give up THE RAVEN and leave town," Moriah said, putting her hands on her knees.  
LaCroix reached over and placed his hand on her cheek. "You are planning on being around for a while," he observed.  
Rubbing her cheek against his palm, Moriah said, "I thought that was the idea."  
"It definitely is," he said. "But I lose my companions so easily."  
"Not this one, My Love," Moriah said, reaching for his other hand. "I am not like the others, and I think that you have learned your lesson. As long as you are fair with me, I will stay."  
LaCroix looked down at her hand. It was so much smaller than his. "I like your thought process and I like your ideas," he said, complimenting her. "I think that you are ready now, but we will wait a little longer."  
To Moriah's surprise, LaCroix leaned over and kissed her. This was the second kiss in less than two hours and was longer than the first one. Afraid of alarming him and ending up on the floor again, Moriah did not move towards him or return his kiss with too much passion. Since she was afraid to scoot close to him, LaCroix moved closer to her. After he kissed her, he held Moriah in his arms, pressing her head against his chest and stroking her hair. In a little while, he lifted her head and looked into her eyes. Pushing her hair back away from her face, he kissed her cheek and her forehead, then her other cheek. Moriah began to feel tired. When she looked at the clock, it was nine o'clock in the morning. Noticing that Moriah's eyes were beginning to show the signs of fatigue, LaCroix stretched out on the couch and laid her down beside him. To think that everyone, especially Nick, had warned her to stay away from LaCroix, when he had turned out to be the best thing in Moriah's life. Closing her eyes, she was asleep in less than two minutes.  
Moriah settled in to her new life very easily. LaCroix still treated her as if she were more special than the other vampires, but then so did the other vampires. The side of LaCroix that Moriah saw was still reserved just for her and, occasionally, for Nick. Everyone else saw the same old LaCroix that they were accustomed to seeing and they never understood why Moriah stayed with him.  
Moriah had thought seriously about going back to work, but never did. Since LaCroix assured her that the money was not needed, she decided that instead of investigating crimes after they occurred, she would prefer to stop them before they happened. She wanted to stop them before someone was injured or killed, instead of investigating after the fact. Several nights a week, Moriah wandered the streets keeping a watchful eye on the city, becoming, in a sense, its guardian. There were many times that she was able to prevent muggings and assaults before the victims had realized what was happening. Many times the perpetrators were so scared that she never caught them performing a criminal act again. Nick knew about what she did and although he did not entirely approve, he would sometimes use her insight and knowledge of the streets. Moriah could not be everywhere at once, so there were still plenty of crimes for Nick and his fellow officers to investigate. Nick had adjusted, somewhat, to the relationship and, occasionally stopped by to visit. The events of one particular night showed Moriah that things between her and Nick were moving to a new plane and that she had the ability to call both LaCroix and Nick to her.  
On this particular night, Moriah was watching the city from one of the rooftops. Occasionally, she would float down into an alley and walk the sidewalks. Unfortunately, these walks would take her into unsavory and seedy parts of the city. All the vampires in town knew her and knew that she was with LaCroix, so she never worried much about wandering around the city. Humans were of no threat to her, because she could defend herself against the largest male human. Vampires were another matter. She was stronger than most vampires her age, but there were many vampires older and stronger than she was. LaCroix's reputation kept her safe from most of these older vampires, but there were some that did not know LaCroix or were not afraid of him. It was one of these vampires that she encountered that night.  
Moriah landed in an alley and was walking towards the entrance of the alley when there was a flash and another vampire landed in front of her. Startled for a moment, she stood and stared at the intruder. This new vampire had dark eyes and dark hair and compared to the other vampires, he was not appealing at all. Even the redneck vampires appealed to her more than he did. He reminded Moriah of the vampires in the stories that she heard as a child, scary and almost demon-like. He had neither LaCroix's dignity and refinement nor Nick's boyish charm. After a few seconds, she realized that she did not know this vampire. He was not one of the regulars at the club, and she had never seen him before.  
Backing up a few steps, Moriah asked, "Who are and what do you want?"  
"They call me Alexi and I came for you," the intruder said, taking a few steps towards Moriah.  
Moriah stepped back a few more steps causing Alexi to remark, "Hold still fledgling. You can't get away from me."  
"Maybe not, but I can sure as hell put up a good fight. At least until my master finds me."  
Fear was something that Moriah had not felt since the night of the transformation and now it filled her whole being. Alexi was obviously an older vampire, so he had the ability to take her quite easily. As she backed away from him, Lacroix's warning rang in her eyes. He warned her that other vampires might try to take her, because of who she was. When she questioned him further, he explained that there were those who wanted revenge on him but that was not the main reason. Moriah possessed a light in her soul. A light that was not extinguished when she was brought across. This light would be something that the other vampires would want to posses. Something that would bring day into their eternal night.  
She wished that LaCroix or Nick were here to help her, because she had run out of alley. Flying was her only avenue of escape, so she shot up into the air, but Alexi was right behind her. Luckily, she was smaller than he was, so she was able to better maneuver between the tight spaces between the buildings. Just as she was running out of small places to fly, she felt a familiar tingle. It was Nick. Closing her eyes and following her instinct, she flew in the direction where she felt Nick. Alexi was close enough to her that he could have reached out and grabbed her. She forced out the last bit of energy that she had and shot just out of his reach. As her energy waned, she saw Nick flying towards her. Nick caught her in his arms and landed them on the top of a neighboring building.  
Gently setting Moriah on the rooftop, Nick turned and asked, "What's going on?"  
Moriah shook her head and put her arms around Nick's waist. "I don't know. He appeared out of nowhere, said that his name was Alexi, and that he had come for me. I can't believe that you heard me."  
"Believe me, I heard you loud and clear," Nick confirmed, putting his arm around her. "It sounded like a scream going through my head."  
"It was," she said quietly. "Can you stop him?"  
"I have never heard of this Alexi, but I feel from his vibrations that he is almost as old as LaCroix. If I heard you, then you know that LaCroix heard and should be here soon. Between the two of us, we should be able to hold him off until then."  
As Nick finished speaking, Alexi landed on the edge of the roof across from them. As Alexi walked towards them, he said, "And who is this? He cannot be your master. He is not much older than you."  
Nick stepped in front of Moriah. "The name is Nicolas. Why are you bothering my sister?"  
Alexi eyed them both. "Your sister, huh? Well, may I say that you have a very desirable sister? Now, move out of the way."  
Moriah grabbed Nick's arm. "No," Nick said firmly. "I wouldn't touch her, if you know what is good for you. Our master would be very displeased."  
"Oh, and who would your master be?" Alexi taunted them.  
Moriah and Nick felt LaCroix land nearby. Just knowing that LaCroix was there caused a wave of relief to sweep through Moriah. Nick also seemed to show some sign of relief at LaCroix's arrival.  
"I am their master," LaCroix said, stepping out of the darkness. "Alexi, why are you harassing my children?"  
"Oh, LaCroix," Alexi said surprised. "I did not know that these were yours. Not that it would matter any. I still want the girl."  
Narrowing his eyes, LaCroix said in a very low, very firm voice, "No one touches Moriah, especially you." He turned to Nick and said, "Nicolas, take her home."  
"Lucien, will you be all right?" Moriah asked.  
LaCroix smiled at her. "I will be fine. Alexi and I are old friends. Now go with Nicolas."  
Holding Moriah's hand, Nick pulled them both into the air. Nick flew so fast that Moriah kept her eyes closed during the whole flight home, holding on tightly to his hand. When they landed in the alley behind THE RAVEN, Moriah still had hold of Nick's hand. Using her other hand, she unlocked the back door and let them inside. After they were inside and the door safely closed and locked, Moriah looked down at her hand and released Nick's.  
"I am sorry," she apologized. "I was so scared."  
"That is perfectly all right. I'm just glad that I was there. Come, let's get you upstairs."  
Once they were in the apartment, Moriah collapsed on the couch.  
"Is Lucien going to be okay?" she asked Nick.  
Nick leaned against the mantel. "I've never seen anyone that could beat him yet. He is very strong. Only his master would be stronger."  
"I was so glad to see you," Moriah said, lying against the arm of the couch. "I was awfully scared. I can't believe that you came after me."  
"After all that we have been through, I suppose that I have come to care for you as I would a real sister," Nick said, smiling. "I couldn't let anything happen to you."  
"I know," Moriah said, laughing. "You are the only one allowed to harass me, right?"  
"Exactly," he answered, laughing. "I can pick on you, but no one else can."  
Moriah stood up and walked over to Nick. "Thank you," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek. "You don't have to stay. You need to get back to work. I'll be all right. All the others are still downstairs."  
Nick looked at his watch. "You are right. I do need to get back on duty. Are you sure that you will be all right?"  
"I will be okay. You go on to work," Moriah said. "Thanks again"  
"Anytime, Sis. Anytime."  
After Nick left, Moriah paced the room, waiting for LaCroix to return. Although she knew that he was one of the oldest vampires, she also knew that one day he was bound to meet that one vampire that happened to be stronger than him. She had never worried about his well-being before. It was a new emotion that she was not quite sure how to handle. Not being able to stay alone anymore, she walked down to the club and slipped into LaCroix's booth. Moriah sat back in the corner and watched the other vampires milling around the club. Every now and then, one of the other vampires would stop and talk to her for a few minutes. It took every ounce of her strength not to get up and start pacing again.  
Finally, Moriah curled up in her corner of the booth and closed her eyes. She drifted in and out, listening to the voices of the other vampires. Suddenly, her eyes flew open. LaCroix had entered the club. Moriah scooted to the edge of the booth, just as he appeared around the corner and smiled at her. Flying out of the booth, Moriah wrapped both arms tightly around his neck and kissed his cheeks.  
"Hey, Little One," LaCroix said, wrapping his arms around her. "What is all of this? Were you worried about me?"  
Moriah looked up at him and simply said, "Yes."  
LaCroix hugged her tightly. "I have never had anyone worry about me before."  
Moriah said, "Well, I do. I don't know what I would do without you. You have become too important to me."  
"As you are to me. I noticed that Nicolas was there tonight," LaCroix said smiling. "Did he hear you call also?"  
"Yes, he did," Moriah answered. "I can't believe that he came, but I was glad to see him. Alexi scared me to death; no pun intended. I haven't been that scared since that night in the barn. Is he really a friend of yours?"  
"Let's go upstairs," LaCroix suggested. "Away from the others."  
LaCroix took her hand and led her upstairs to the apartment. Closing the door behind him, he followed her inside.  
"I would like to get out of these clothes," Moriah said, taking his hand. "Come and tell me about Alexi."  
As they walked down the hallway to her room, he asked, "He did not touch you or hurt you, did he?"  
"No," Moriah said shaking her head. "Nick arrived just as my strength was giving out."  
"I guess I owe Nicolas a little something," LaCroix said as they reached Moriah's door.  
"I think just a plain 'thank you' would mean a lot to him," Moriah suggested as she pushed her door open. "Now, tell me about Alexi."  
As Moriah was cleaning up and changing her clothes, LaCroix sat on the bed and proceeded to tell her about Alexi. "Alexi is older than Nicolas, but not quite as old as I am, although he would like everyone to think he is. He sometimes actually has himself fooled into thinking that he can take me on and win."  
Moriah stood in front him. "Why was he so interested in me? I have never seen him before."  
"I told you that you are special," LaCroix said, smiling at her. "You emit a special light. In fact you glow with it. The others see it too, but they know not to bother you. It is the vampires who do not know that you are connected to me that will try to possess you. As I have mentioned before, you bring light into our dark world. Now, I am not admitting to anything, but most vampires, whether they admit it or not, are tired of the darkness and will grab at any straw to bring light into their existence. You are one of the few who actually embrace this life and accept the darkness. You take the darkness and turn it around into something beautiful and full of life."  
"I'm not a regular vampire, am I?"  
LaCroix reached over and pulled her into his lap. "Well, I would not say that. Shall we just say that you are a regular vampire with a little something extra."  
"Thank you for protecting me, My Love," Moriah said, leaning against his chest. "You were quite impressive. You are always so calm and so confident."  
"I am glad that we found out that you can call me or Nicolas, whenever you are in trouble," he said, hugging her.  
"Do I have the same connection with all your other children?"  
"Probably, but with the exception of Janette, I do not think that it would be wise for you to be around them. They have all learned their lessons from me too well."  
Moriah chuckled. "Not necessarily nice dispositions, I take it."  
"No, they all take after me," LaCroix said, shaking his head.  
"I find your disposition very nice," Moriah said.  
"You are the only one who does, but I suppose that you are the only one who counts," LaCroix said, kissing her forehead.  
Moriah went to sleep that morning, realizing that she was not as safe as she originally thought. It had never occurred to her that other vampires might want to possess her for her. She had only thought that they would use her to exact revenge against LaCroix. From now on, she would have to be more aware of her surroundings and listen more closely to her instincts.  
  
CHAPTER 9  
  
Moriah and LaCroix made their plans to take their first trip. It was to be to Europe for three months. The same vampire who watched the club before agreed to watch it again. They were ready to leave. They only had to decide when. They were sitting in the broadcast booth one evening discussing a departure date when they heard a commotion coming from the club entrance. Moriah went to see what was happening and found that Natalie had walked in the door.  
Moriah ran over to rescue Natalie from the others. "Natalie, what are you doing here?" she asked, taking her arm and walking her back to the booth.  
"Nick just let it slip that you were back and that you had been brought over. I had to talk to you," Natalie explained, looking closely at her.  
"It took a lot of nerve to walk through that door," Moriah scolded as they walked through the other vampires. "Something bad could have happened."  
"You took the same chance yourself once," Natalie said. "Besides, I knew that you wouldn't let anything happen to me."  
"All right, Natalie," Moriah said, laughing. "I give up."  
When they arrived at the booth, LaCroix looked at Natalie and said, "Good evening. Are you trying to get yourself and us in trouble with Nicolas?"  
Natalie gave LaCroix a look. Moriah was not quite sure whether it was fear or a healthy respect, such as one has for a rattlesnake.  
"I had to come see Moriah," Natalie explained. "Nick just told me that she was back."  
"Ah, Nicolas is still trying to protect you, I see," LaCroix said. "We have been back for months."  
"Yes, I know, and believe me, I gave him a piece of my mind for keeping it from me," Natalie said, smiling nervously.  
"I'm going to take her upstairs," Moriah said,taking hold of Natalie's hand.  
"I think that would be best," he agreed.  
Moriah took Natalie up the back stairs to the apartment. Opening the door, Moriah showed Natalie into the living room. Natalie looked around her in amazement.  
"I didn't know that this apartment was up here," Natalie said. "It looks like you."  
"Funny, that is what Lucien says," Moriah said, laughing. "Have a seat. I'd offer you something to drink, but you know how it is."  
"I understand, believe me," Natalie said,sitting down on the couch. "Strange but you don't look any different than before."  
"I'm not really. The body is a little different, but the mind and personality are the same," Moriah smiled.  
"I should say so," Natalie said. "You're just as bubbly as you've always been."  
"Now, what was so important that you risk life and limb to come see me? Why didn't you just call?" Moriah said, sitting beside her on the couch.  
Natalie looked embarrassed. "I didn't even think of calling. It never dawned on me that Lacroix had a phone. He doesn't take much stock in modern forms of communciation."  
"We're vampires, not a backwoods hermit," Moriah said, stifling a laugh.  
"That is why I am here," Natalie said. "I want you to tell me about it."  
"Tell you about what?" Moriah questioned.  
"Tell me about being brought over," Natalie answered, grabbing Moriah's hand. "Nick won't discuss such things with me in much detail. He just says things such as, "You won't like it," "It hurts," and his ever favorite, "eternal damnation". He's the reason that you have not called or come to see me, isn't it?"  
Moriah looked a little embarrassed. "Yes. I knew that he wouldn't want you associating with me anymore. It was easier not to see or contact you than to fight with him. I'm sorry," Moriah apologized.  
"It's all right," Natalie assured her. "I understand. You have been through so much with him already. But now, we will keep in touch, right?"  
"Yes, Natalie," Moriah said, giggling. Moriah thought to herself that if Natalie were ever brought over, she would make a very interesting vampire. "Whatever you say."  
"Good," Natalie said, smiling. "Now, tell me what's been happening to you."  
"Where do you want me to start?" Moriah asked, smiling.  
"From when you left town to get away from Nick," Natalie suggested, leaning back and pulling her legs up underneath her.  
Moriah made herself comfortable, thinking that she might be here for a while. "Well, I shoved a note under the door downstairs when I left and was Lucien pissed."  
"I heard about that," Natalie said. "That was the one thing that Nick did tell me about. He said that LaCroix ranted and raved for two weeks."  
"Yes, I believe he calmed down about the time he received my new address and phone number," Moriah confirmed.  
"I know that Nick was relieved when he did," Natalie commented.  
"Well, did you know that there are vampires in Texas? It turns out that there was a gang of vampires in my hometown and the leader was the brother of my boss at the police station. They decided that they wanted to bring me over and into their gang." Moriah paused long enough to shudder. "Natalie, they were the proverbial rednecks. They were awful. They wouldn't have known a ballet from a Texas Two-Step. Anyway, their first attempt to approach me came on the same night that Lucien arrived. They were there when I got home from work, but I didn't know it. I just knew that there were no night sounds, and I had the feeling that I was being watched."  
Moriah paused to catch her breath. "Go on," Natalie urged. "This is interesting."  
"By the time Lucien showed up, the night sounds had returned, but I was a nervous wreck. The minute I let him inside, I felt much safer. They showed back up a few hours later, but this time he was there to sense them, so I knew for sure that they were there. He went out and had a little talk with them and that's when we found out about their plans. That was when I made him promise to take me before they did. Of course, when the time came, he couldn't do it."  
"Wait a minute," Natalie said. "You skipped a ahead."  
"All right," Moriah said, laughing. "One night I was coming home and swerved to miss a dog and ended up in a ditch. They trapped me in the car, broke the windows and pulled me out. The fools started arguing over who was going to bring me over and bought me some time. By the time they had decided and turned around, Lucien was with me. He could only protect me so much. My being a human hampered many of the things that he could have done. We made it to a barn and barricaded ourselves inside. They found us and started breaking in. I told him that it was time to bring me over, but he didn't want to do it. When I had him convinced, he couldn't do it. For the first time in his existence, he couldn't bring someone over or kill them." Moriah paused to catch her breath again.  
"Well, obviously, he did do it," Natalie said. "Here you are."  
"It took a little extra coaching and help on my part to make it happen," Moriah remarked, looking towards the door.  
As Moriah finished talking, she felt tingling in her head. One was definitely LaCroix and the other was Nick. They were on the other side of the door. She continued as if they were not around. She was not going to let their presence influence her talk with Natalie.  
"How did you do that?" Natalie asked.  
"Don't ask me, because I won't tell you. That is something that Nick will have to tell you."  
Natalie started to pursue it, then relented. "All right, I don't want to know. Go on with the story."  
"I was finally brought over just before they broke in, and they were in shock. They didn't think that Lucien would do it. By this time, Lucien was very angry. He had no intention of crossing me over, and because of them, he had been forced to do so. He zapped them and he zapped them good."  
"What were his plans for you, if he never intended to bring you over?"  
Moriah shrugged her shoulders and lied a little. "I have no idea. We have never discussed it. We have only talked about why he didn't want to do so."  
"Why was that?"  
"I will keep that to myself, too," Moriah said.  
"Nick's the reason, I suppose. For someone who has caused you so much trouble, you sure give him a lot of consideration," Natalie complained.  
"It is more for your sake, than his," Moriah explained, taking her hand. "I don't want to romanticize anything. This is not for everyone. You need to have the right frame of mind and be in the right situation. Nick is, if you will excuse me, so thick-headed and so miserable with his own existence that bringing you over would only add to that misery and make you both miserable."  
"What was it like to be brought across, and what were the after- effects like?"  
"I was unconscious for the cross-over and the rest of it was like having a very bad and long case of the flu. The worst is getting accustomed to the taste of blood, which I still have not. I hold my nose and down it all at once."  
"I take it then, that you're drinking only cow's blood," Natalie observed.  
"Yes," she said. "Human blood will never pass these lips. I'll starve to death first, and from what I understand, starving is very painful. Well, I'm sure that you have seen Nick doubling up in pain when he needed blood. That, multiplied by ten, is death by starvation."  
"How horrible!" Natalie said, pausing for a moment.  
Moriah saw the look on Natalie's face. "You are wanting to ask something else. What is it?"  
Natalie hesitated, but Moriah urged her on. "What about the sex between vampires? Nick and Janette used to.."  
Suddenly; Natalie's voice trailed off.  
"That I can't answer," Moriah said, shaking her head. "I know nothing about it."  
"You mean that you never..." Natalie said.  
"No, never," Moriah said, standing up and walking to the apartment door. She pointed towards the door with her head and Natalie nodded that she understood.  
"Thanks for being honest with me," Natalie said. "I knew that you would be. We've always been able to talk."  
"Well, I'm glad that you think so," Moriah said, jerking the door open revealing Nick listening at the door.  
Moriah looked behind Nick and saw LaCroix sitting at the bottom of the stairs. "Nick, come in and talk to Natalie," Moriah said, moving out of his way. "I will be right back." She walked down the stairs to LaCroix and sat on the step behind him. Putting her arms around him, she hugged him. "Thank you for not coming up and listening at the door," she whispered.  
"It was your conversation, and frankly, I did not want to hear it," LaCroix commented.  
Moriah kissed his check. "Thank you, just the same. When did Nick get here?"  
"I think that you had been gone about ten minutes when he walked up to me demanding to know where Natalie was," LaCroix answered, leaning his head against hers. "I told him that you were talking and he was not to disturb you."  
"And?"  
"He was not happy," he said, with a glint of an impish smile.  
"What did he think I was going to tell her? Romanticize being turned into a vampire or turn it into a fairy tale? I'm perfectly happy and content, but I didn't tell her that."  
LaCroix reached up and put his hand on her cheek. "Who knows what Nicolas thinks? I do not think that even he knows anymore."  
"I think that you are right," she said, turning and looking up the stairs. "Do you think that they have had enough time?"  
"It does not matter. It is our home," he said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "If they want to talk, let them go elsewhere."  
Moriah looked at her watch. "Natalie can, but Nick can't. The sun is up."  
They slowly climbed the stairs and stepped through the apartment door. Nick and Natalie were sitting on the couch talking. Moriah reached behind her and closed the door.  
"Well, Nicolas," LaCroix said, putting his hand on Moriah's shoulder. "You are stuck here. The sun is up. You can use the third bedroom to rest in, if you wish, or you and Natalie can sit here and talk all day. We are going to rest for a while. The living room is yours."  
Before Moriah and LaCroix walked down the hallway, Natalie stood up and walked over to Moriah. Hugging her, Natalie said, "Thank you for being honest with me and for still being my friend." Natalie looked back at Nick and said, "Nick, she is still my friend, understand?"  
"Yes," Nick said, nodding his head. "I understand, and I suppose that if you must have a vampire for a friend, Moriah is most definitely the best choice."  
"Well, thank you, Nick," Moriah responded. "It's nice to know that you do not think of me as a monster anymore."  
"Point well taken; I never have thought of you as a monster, just misguided. It was hard for me to believe that LaCroix could treat anyone the way that he obviously treats you."  
"Well, Nick, he does, and now, I think that you and Natalie probably need some more time to yourselves. I will talk to you later."  
Moriah and LaCroix walked down the hallway and went to their own rooms. Moriah took a shower and changed into her gown and robe. She was sitting on the bed, flipping through a magazine, when there was a faint knock at the door. When she opened the door, Nick was on the other side. Stepping out into the hallway, she closed her door behind her.  
"Did Natalie leave?" she asked.  
"Yes, I walked her downstairs and let her out, then locked up," Nick said, dropping the key in her hand. "Thank you for what you said to her."  
"Don't thank me. I just told her the truth," Moriah said, leaning against the door.  
Nick looked at her shyly. "I would like to talk to you, if you don't mind."  
"Of course, let's go back to the living room."  
As they were walking up the hallway, Nick said, "I am so sorry that I have caused you so much trouble. I really do like you, you know."  
Moriah looked at him shocked. "Until the other night with Alexi, I wasn't sure. In the beginning, I would have never known from the way that you have treated me. You treat LaCroix better than you have treated me."  
When they reached the living room, Moriah sat on one end of the couch and Nick on the other. "I realize that," Nick admitted. "Now that I have had time to think and to see you and LaCroix together, I know that LaCroix has done nothing but act in your best interest."  
A look of genuine remorse crossed his face and Moriah began to feel sorry for him. "I wished you had realized this sooner. It would have saved a lot of moving and adjustments," she commented.  
After a few seconds, Nick said, "I think that I have been afraid that Natalie would see how well you are getting along with LaCroix, and how well you have adjusted to life as a vampire and would try to push me into bringing her over, so that we could be together."  
Moriah reached over for his hand. "Nick, that is precisely why I didn't tell her everything. I didn't want to take the chance that she would think that because I adjusted so easily that she would, too. I know that she has a strong personality. She is a red head after all. I'm just not sure that she has the right frame of mind to adjust and I don't think that you would ever adjust."  
"How have you adjusted so well?" Nick asked, hoping for some sort of answer to his own inner battles.  
Moriah shook her head and held on to his hand. "Maybe, when I'm as old as you, my attitude may change. But for now, I feel that in this form I have so much that I can give to mankind. Sure, I'm confined by the daylight, but I think that, eventually, I will discover a way around that obstacle. Don't you see, Nick, all the things that we can do that they can't? All the ways that we can help them, when they can't help themselves?" She paused for a moment studying his face, trying to see if he understood any of the things that she was saying. "Everything in life has its purpose, even vampires. There is a reason that they were put here in the first place and I believe that you have to make the best of the cards that are dealt you. If you don't find some way to come to terms with what you are, you are going to be miserable all the rest of your days and make those around you miserable, too. As you can see, you no longer have to deal with Lucien. At the moment he is quite happy and content. Now, it's all up to you. I will help you when I can, but I won't be a crutch or take any more abuse."  
The room grew silent as Nick thought about what Moriah has just said to him. "There is a lot of merit in what you say. I just have trouble seeing a positive side of being a vampire. Legend and history labels us creatures of the night and evil. LaCroix and I have done some really bad things in our life time."  
"I know, and you have made up for many of those things. Now, you must stop beating yourself up and move on to a more peaceful existence."  
They heard LaCroix enter the room. "You really should listen to her, Nicolas," LaCroix advised, sitting on the arm of the couch behind Moriah. "I am discovering that for someone so young, she has a great deal of wisdom in her. I am beginning to believe that she possesses a very old soul."  
"I'll try," Nick agreed, turning to Moriah. "I honestly will. I see you at such peace and really enjoying yourself, and I'd like to have some that peace. Maybe that's why I've been so hard on you, just a little jealous of your easy nature."  
A smile spread across Moriah's face. "You will also find that I have a very forgiving nature, so I say that we start fresh. I only ask that you will promise that anytime that you feel like yelling at me, please try to talk to me first. I will always be here for you, if you just want to talk." She turned and looked at LaCroix. "Lucien, that's all right with you, isn't it?"  
"I have no problem with whatever you want to do," LaCroix answered. "If it makes you happy to help Nicolas, then so be it."  
Nick stood up and stretched. "I think on that note that I'll go lay down for a while and let you have a few hours of peace. Thank you, Moriah, for being so understanding and patient with me."  
Looking between LaCroix and Nick, Moriah realized just how much they really did care about each other. They just had a funny way of showing it. To Moriah's complete surprise, before Nick walked out of the room, he walked over and kissed her cheek. Putting her hand up to her cheek, she watched Nick walk out of the room. After Moriah heard Nick close the bedroom door, she stood up and turned to LaCroix.  
Smiling at LaCroix, Moriah commented, "Did you see that?"  
"Yes, I did," LaCroix answered her, rubbing her shoulders. "I am glad that my children are finally coming to terms with each other and I did not have to interfere."  
Stepping closer to him, Moriah placed a kiss on each of his cheeks. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"  
In lieu of an answer, LaCroix reached out and pulled her into his embrace. He hugged her tightly to him and she rested her head on his shoulder. The room was silent and there were no sounds coming from outside. The moment could not have been more perfect.  
When LaCroix released Moriah, he asked her softly, "Do you think that you could be ready to leave for Europe in two evenings?"  
Still basking in the feelings that had flowed through the room, Moriah was slow to answer. "Yes," she finally said. "I'm ready now."  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
Two evenings later, Moriah and LaCroix were ready to leave. LaCroix had arranged for them to sail to France aboard a ship that left and arrived during the evening. The cabins had such small portholes that they could stay in during the day and enjoy all the activities that were planned during the evenings. Moriah read the literature on the cruise and found that there were enough activities planned at night to keep them busy until early morning, excluding moonlight strolls. They were even able to secure a supply of blood to take with them. If questioned about it, all they would have to do was use their hypnotic powers on whoever was questioning them. Once they landed in France, LaCroix still had many acquaintances and associates in Europe and the United Kingdom who would be able to supply them. LaCroix had made a few arrangements for places to stay, but most of it would be, literally, wandering and staying wherever their fancy took them.  
Moriah was pleasantly surprised when Natalie and Nick met them at the boat dock to see them off on their trip. Moriah and LaCroix walked up the gangplank and took their places along the railing. Moriah waved to Natalie and Nick and was surprised when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw LaCroix lift his hand and wave. Reaching over, she grabbed his hand and held on to it tightly. She watched Natalie and Nick grow smaller and smaller. As the dock disappeared on the horizon, Moriah thought about all the things that she would see and the people that she would meet. They were off on their first adventure together, and she hoped that there would be many more to come. 


End file.
